Souvenirs: what I brought home from BloggerCon
April 22nd, 2004 · 1 Comment
I commented on Anita’s post about the Seattle Weblogger Meetup Wednesday night and mentioned we might come. She replied “bring us your Bloggercon souvenirs!”
Souvenirs: what I’m taking home with me from my trip
Let’s see….a few crinkled receipts, a handful of colored business cards, a lighter wallet…
In summary, here are some thoughts…
One big moral of the story to me is that you can’t know why you went to a conference until it is over. If you go to a conference to meet people, you won’t know who you met until it’s done. I planned to go to BloggerCon for one specific session but ended up finding my favorite moments in a session that came as a last-minute surprise. Be spontaneous. Be flexible. Be bold. Laugh a lot. Have fun!
The more I look at technology, the more I see humanity. While new tools are needed, human nature also plays a part in the barriers to blogging. The blogging technology needs to improve. But how will we answer the questions: How will the edges communicate with the center? Who will listen? Will blogs serve truth? Are people willing to read what they don’t want to hear?
It’s our humanity that draws us together. But it’s also our humanity that can pull us apart.
I may be wrong but I don’t think we need a Trade Association or an official BloggerCon Community, two ideas mentioned at the last session. Perhaps I’m a bit wary, after being in communities that existed more in paper and title than in spirit and soul. Barlow said community is built by shared adversity. Principles and experience bind us together. Not belonging to any association, carrying a card or paying a due. Those of us who have attended a BloggerCon already share common experience and bonds. And there are many who haven’t gone who do share values, desires and history. If we have community, we have it. It can’t be pulled and pushed into a name.
But I would like to see a blogging meeting in Seattle. I’m not sure it has to be a BloggerCon identical to the two that have been held in Boston. Perhaps more like the local blogger meeting Robert Scoble describes.
Things I like about this meetup is
1) Anita Rowland is there (I think of it as Anita’s meetup)
2) Everyone is welcome.
3) It’s in a low-cost venue so no one needs to dig deep in their pockets.
4) There’s always a good geek quotient (and lots of people I’ve never met before, I like meeting new people).
5) You don’t need to be a geek to come and there usually are non-geeks there as well, so my wife has more fun too
6) Usually there are people there who don’t blog, either. It’s lots of fun, something for everyone.
Maybe a Saturday instead of a weeknight one so more could come, lots of social time, not too structured…?
I’d love to see the emphasis on teaching others to blog. Dave Winer mentioned this at the end of the conference: a “newbie” sesssion should be on the schedule. A continual focus on starting people in blogging, rather than following trails into esoteric meta discussions. Keeping it fresh with new faces. A meeting where anyone can come and feel comfortable is crucial. After all, as I realized this weekend, why are people going to blog? Perhaps they will start posting because they see the potential in the publishing. But perhaps, like anything else, they will want to do it because they like the people who do it.
Other ideas for possible sessions include Blogging for Babies (literally) – a parents session. How about incorporating MommyCons and DaddyCons: a huge playroom with wifi access?! 🙂
At the conference, I mentioned my favorite idea to a few people…an idea which grew from my His and Her Blogs post…how about a session on the effect of blogging on romance and relationship? Couples who blog? What linking can do for your love life….;)
Tags: bloggercon
1 response so far ↓
1 Daisy // Apr 22, 2004 at 10:04 pm
Hey Julie! It was great meeting you too! I have a whole new perspective on blogging now and cannot wait for my big academic papers to be over with so i can post my notes from the BloggerCon sessions and keep up with reading all of the great bloggers I met. I wish another conference were coming up soon but if it’s true what Dave said about the next one being in New Orleans, that’s my home town so I’d be thrilled! Keep in touch and I’ll post and comment more soon.