CLICK FOR VIDEO - Israeli Consul General Reda Mansour says technology has "revolutionized" diplomacy, allowing the consulate to promote Israel's message to people in the Southeast it otherwise wouldn't have reached. To watch a segment on how Israel's global outlook has benefited the Southeast, CLICK HERE.

A group of Israeli companies will visit Atlanta this week on Sept. 24-25 to meet with U.S. counterparts to show how their products leverage the Internet to help companies better communicate with employees and customers.

At least 13 companies will attend the Web 2.0 Business Exchange hosted by the American Israel Chamber of Commerce Southeast Region, according to Lorin Coles, chair of the chamber’s software committee.

The exchange is based on a model the chamber has employed for other sectors to foster face-to-face meetings between companies that stand to benefit from each other’s services.

“The whole idea was if an Israeli company’s looking for money, looking for partners, looking for customers, those are going to be the people at this event,” said Mr. Coles, also founder and managing director of Alliancesphere LLC, a consultancy that helps companies grow and innovate through partnerships.

The two-day exchange is expected to attract about two times more North American companies than incoming Israeli companies, including IT and communications giants like IBM Corp., AT&T Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. 

The development of new Web applications in Israel is a natural overflow from the country’s history of Internet innovation, Mr. Coles said.

The instant messaging technology that became ubiquitous through Internet service providers like America Online got some of its key developments in Israel, where a close-knit relationship between government authorities, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists creates a nationwide culture of innovation.

“It’s just part of the DNA of what goes on in Israel,” Mr. Coles said. He added that while Israel is only the size of New Jersey, as a country it has the second-highest number of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

At the business exchange, Israeli companies will give a short presentation to attract widespread interest, but focused, prearranged meetings will provide guaranteed business interaction.

The chamber also has assigned some of its members as facilitators to make sure the companies get the exposure they need.

Although its meaning is broad and ever-changing, the term “Web 2.0” generally refers to how the Internet has become an interactive medium where companies and individuals can engage and include users in the creation and manipulation of Web content.

And it’s not just for those looking to sell goods or services.  Politicians, diplomats and institutions have used electronic mailing lists and social networking sites to enhance interaction with the audiences they want to reach.

Citing a “revolution in the way diplomacy is being done,” Israeli Consul General Reda Mansour told GlobalAtlanta that he is using Facebook and MySpace pages and a blog to get the consulate’s message to his audience throughout the Southeast.

Web 2.0 is about communicating in a more meaningful way with stakeholders both inside and outside the company, Mr. Coles said.

“I think in laymen’s terms, Web 2.0 is really more about simplifying the user experience and adding the social and collaborative aspect to the Web, really the power of connecting your business to the consumer” and allowing employees to have a stake in decision-making, he said.

One Israeli company making the trip, PlyMedia, provides software that helps businesses and advertisers augment the content of Internet videos on sites like YouTube.

One of its applications identifies the name of any song playing in the background of a YouTube video.  Another innovation automatically creates foreign-language subtitles, while another overlays relevant ad content on top of the videos.  

Flixwagon, an affiliate of another Israeli company, allows users to broadcast live videos from mobile phones equipped with cameras.

Other exhibiting companies target search engine marketers or businesses that need software interfaces for their operations.

Mr. Coles said the chamber has been working closely with its anchor partner, IBM, to put on the exchange.

IBM has what it calls a Global Technology Unit in Israel to monitor the innovation going on there.  The unit’s work has led to three major acquisitions by IBM in the past few years, Mr. Coles said.

Last year, the chamber hosted the Israel New Media Business Exchange, which was sponsored by Turner Broadcasting and drew 60 Israeli companies and produced 300 one-on-one meetings.

In 2006, 27 emerging Israeli companies attended the second annual U.S.-Israel Broadband Business Exchange, hosted by Cox Communications.  That event produced 600 one-on-one meetings.