Next week the BarCampBankSeattle is happening. Jesse Robins has put this together and there are going to be some very interesting discussions given the attendee list. It is the first BarCampBank event to be held in the United States. O’Reilly Radar, Trabian, Wesabe, Currency and the list goes on. There will be a good mix of operators and pundits, all associated with financial institutions.
One of the questions that keeps me awake at times is how will banking be able to augment their positions and strategies with the use of Web 2.0 energies and the Social Media wave? Banking has been rigid in so much of what it has done in the past. There is always the cover of privacy and secrecy when discussing financial matters with people. Will FIs create and be able to use these new key imperatives? Wesabe is the closest service that fulfills these elements. There is always the view of how the product will be balanced (social vs privacy/security) and how will the member/customer take to it.
Seattle may be the start of some new and innovative ways of how to bank. And that is long overdue.
Tinfoiling 
Regarding the Web 2.0 debate in the financial services industry: Is this one of those times where the medium is looking for a message? Does Web 2.0 offer the relationship-building tools the financial industry has been waiting for? Do people want social relationships with their financial institutions?
As a volunteer blogger/journalist, I will see you at BarCampBankSeattle. I’ve got a lot of questions.