After 3 days in beautiful Dana Point, conversing with some very interesting people and attending panels focused on topics from green marketing to the dark arts of the internet, I am feeling refreshed, inspired and excited to be apart of this evolving industry.

The WebbyConnect summit brings diverse individuals from various interactive fields together. Speakers are chosen to share their stories and answer questions about current internet trends in online media. Here are the key takeaways:

1. Quality content matters.
2. Advertising should be relevant and entertaining.
3. Create relationships with your users.

All of these points bring together what I believe to be the overarching theme of this years event: Trust.

Great examples of providing brand trust and loyalty:

nytimes.com
methodhome.com
mint.com
tumblr.com

Some more inspiration:

muxtape.com
aaronkoblin.com
playballoonacy.com
bigpicture

So, what about the future? Well, the New York Times tells a story about starting to read an article on your computer, then walk away and a text message will arrive on your phone so you can continue reading from your mobile device. Nokia talks about your cell phone being able to sense the traffic and weather while on the road and automatically tell you which is the best route to take. And many references to the movie Minority Report cast shadows on a future of touch screens and face detecting analytics. But, this isn’t the future. It’s happening now.

And to lighten things up, I’ll leave you with my favorite line from the conference: The Mullet Theory. It’s business in the front and a party in the back.