Just arrived home from the 2009 Blogworld and New Media Expo in Las Vegas, and wanted to jot down some initial thoughts on the experience.
- So Diverse: I considered myself pretty plugged into what is going on in the blogosphere, but blogworld made me realize how impossible it is to be plugged in anymore. Everywhere I looked, there was someone else I had never heard of doing very well with their blog, podcast, or other social media activities. The world of social media is starting to mirror the diversity of the real world, and that is a good thing.
- Great learning: I attended a lot of different sessions at blogworld, and picked up some great tips. I also learnt from the different presentation styles.
- Great, great people: This deserves a separate post. At blogworld, I met some amazingly interesting, friendly, and good people. People who inspired me to keep working at my own social media activities. I sometimes feel there is a bit of a "class hierarchy" in the social media world, but I was just gobsmacked by how friendly people were and how easy it was to get into a stellar conversation
- Very responsive organizers: On twitter, I was really impressed to see how responsive blogworld organizer Rick Calvert and his co-organizers were to people's questions and concerns. This gave me a lot of confidence pre conference in my decision to attend.
- More information please: one suggestion I have for next year is to provide more information to attendees pre conference. I was not sure where to register the first day, I was not sure what of the details of some sessions that seemed interesting but had not explanation on the conference web site. A complete list of networking events was also not posted on the web site.
- More diverse networking opportunities: I also would like to suggest that blogworld offer social events outside of those that cater to the drinking and dancing crowd. I like the idea of going to nightclubs, but almost never go in my middle age. Offer social events that mirror the diversity of the attendees.
- I gotta stop making stupid assumptions: I was somewhat apprehensive about saying hello to some of the social media celebrities at the conference, or even to people who looked like they were in the young drinking and dancing set. I just assumed I was too "uncool" or something like that. I had a few experiences my first night I guess that put me in this mode. I didn't even realize I was limiting myself in this unusual way until 5am at Las Vegas Airport, the day after the conference. As I was sitting on the airport monorail taking me to my gate, a youngish attendee I recognized struck up a conversation. He was just so friendly. And I had another amazing, rich conversation. I really got to remember to take each person as an individual, and not stereotype.
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