Not too long ago I was in a traditional professional job. Ironically that same job is what introduced me to Web 2.0. Fast forwarding finds me deeply entrenched in working online and advocating for the role of Community Manager and working remotely.
THE Reason You Should Be At Blogworld 09 is the people.
As much as I enjoy working remotely there is a huge value to meeting people in person. The power of connecting face to face is incredible.
Last year’s BlogWorld was a turning point for me. I had the opportunity to meet many of the people who had influenced my work & inspire so many of us.
I was also very impressed with how warm & down-to-earth bloggers are. At the Techset party I stood a few feet away from the group around Chris Brogan. I’m not shy, but I tend to watch & listen when I’m at events. I will never forget how Chris paused his conversation, walked away from his group and gave me a big hug! And disrupting Brian Solis’ camera time for a quick chat was also memorable. He told me that he had quoted me in his book. Over the course of the event I met so many people! I had an amazing conversation about community with Lionel Menchaca of Dell. When we were on the verge of leaving I was talking with Des from Australia & someone said ‘where’s Connie’? I have to meet her! What a great way for Jason Falls to introduce himself!
You need to go to BlogWorld so you can have your own stories like that. It’s the ideal event to meet everyone in an educational and a social setting. I have a list of people to meet this year. Bryan Person, Keith Burtis, and a number of others are on my short list.
If you’re there tweet me @cbensen because I want to meet YOU! I’ll be there Thurs and Friday morning and at the Techset party Thursday night. We’re doing a panel on social media monitoring on Thurs morning to kick off things. So join us!
And if you haven’t figure it out yet, social media isn’t about the technology. It’s about the people! See you at BlogWorld 2009!
Connie,
Thank you for the mention on your blog, and for coming to share with others in the conference!
I had to relate another Chris Brogan story after reading yours… In ’07, Chris presented at this event, and he and I had not yet met in person. Like you, I’m also not shy, and when I saw Chris walking in the hallway outside the conference session rooms, with laptop backpack slung over his shoulder, I called over “Hey, Chris!” and walked toward him to shake his hand and say hello.
Chris turned, and was so intent on receiving my greeting immediately with a smile and handshake, he dropped his laptop case right on the floor! What a friendly first impression, something I’ll never forget.
Like so many I’ve met at BlogWorld, it was great to meet and make a personal connection with someone in my online world. That’s one of my favorite things about the event. Matching faces with avatars and usernames. Matching real people with what my wife affectionately calls my “imaginary friends”. :D
In business, my longest and most successful relationships have all started by meeting in-person. As for friendships, it’s exactly the same. Meeting face-to-face is so important, satisfying, and truly is irreplaceable.
Looking forward to seeing you at BlogWorld, it’s coming up quick! :)
Best Regards,
Dave Cynkin
Co-Founder, CMO, Sleep Deprivationist & Thrill Seeker
BlogWorld & New Media Expo
Connie- this post is very timely. After visiting your site yesterday about Google’s SideWiki, I realized that BlogWorld is nearly upon us and spent some time on SouthWestAirlines’ site looking for affordable options. If I make it all, it’ll be Friday/Saturday. Thanks for sharing your people experience about the event. I hope to see you in a couple of Fridays. Kindly – Dave
Connie,
Great post. Blogworld last year was a game changer for me as well. I look forward to meeting up with you there this year!
-Jodi