As I write this I’m sitting at the Las Vegas airport awaiting my (delayed, grumble) flight back home. I’ve just wrapped up three days of events surrounding Blogworld Expo. Here are a few thoughts in a less-than-organized fashion:
This was my first Blogworld… I went into it with two purposes. Part of my motivation for attendance was to learn a few things from some of the official conference sessions. My other plan was to meet and network with a variety of smart people.
Overall, it met my expectations. Some of the sessions were really great, although there were a couple that I felt were disappointing or didn’t really fit with the session title. I attended a couple of the WordCamp sessions that were part of the WordCamp Las Vegas being held inside Blogworld and they were great – John Hawkins (@VegasGeek) and his crew put on a good program. A couple of the monetization panels were excellent, including the site critique/review panel… I stepped a bit outside my comfort zone and asked for a critique of Social Photo Talk and got feedback from Darren Rowse (ProBlogger), Brian Clark (Copyblogger), and John Chow. They asked some good questions, gave me some solid suggestions for improvement, and to my relief validated that a lot of what I was doing (and have planned) is correct. Thanks guys!
I’ve seen several comments that there were less vendors and exhibitors than in the past. With this being my first trip to the show I can’t offer a comparison but there were less than I expected. VegasGeek noted that it was disappointing that there was no representation from Automattic, but as I thought about it I realized I didn’t see anyone there who works for any of the major blog platforms. Not only was Automattic (WordPress) missing, but I didn’t see anyone from Six Apart (Moveable Type / TypePad), Google (Blogger), or even Squarespace which has been all over the place lately seeking publicity.
The afterhours activities were a lot of fun (and as a photographer, a special thanks to Victor for a great photowalk on Thursday night).
On a personal level it was great to see a bunch of friends from the west coast WordCamps like John, Chris, Abbie, Shayne, Austin, Jeana, Todd, and Sara (and since I’m tired I’m not going to link ‘em up… but they know who they are).
Thanks to everyone who made Blogworld a great event. I’m leaving with all sorts of great ideas and a bunch of new friends.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Aaron, thank you for pointing out that there was no representation from ANY of the blog platforms. I singled out Automattic, probably a bit unfairly, but since that is where my heart and passion is, their absence meant something to me where the others (and I mean no direct offense to any of them) didn’t.
It was great hanging out with you as well and I look forward to seeing you at an event or two in the near future!
I remember 2 booths last year with cash machines, you climb in and try to grab cash as it blows around, kinda missed those. In 2008 I recall both Six Apart and b5media being on the exhibit floor, didn’t see either this year, also noticed no Southwest Airlines who I thought had a great presence last year.
Hey Aaron,
Great to see you as well, and hopefully it won’t be too long before we get to do it again.
Hi Aaron, thanks for coming and for the recap!
We also want the major blog platforms to have a presence at BlogWorld. We’ve tried to bring them every year, and will continue to do so. Matt Mullenweg came the first year for a keynote, but there was no WP booth. Six Apart came last year for a keynote and did have a booth where people could interact w/the MT and 6A team. Squarespace was thinking about it this year but couldn’t make it. Google keeps playing hard to get, maybe we’re just not reaching the right ears. We’d like them all to be there, so users and customers of theirs can connect personally, get help, give feedback and learn about new features, etc.
If there are companies you’d like to see next year that would be helpful for you in 2010, feel free to email me a list and we’ll get it into our planning for next year. Our personal quest is to have easy access for everyone for the resources they need all in one convenient place, so your feedback means a lot to us.
Thanks again, and have an enjoyable holiday season.
Dave Cynkin
Co-Founder, CMO, Sleep Deprivationist & Thrill Seeker
BlogWorld & New Media Expo