Monday, December 26, 2005
You have a discernible effect on me, Dave
This post is just one example of why I love reading Dave Rogers and his blog Groundhog Day.
This particular post highlights one aspect of his blogging: the poking and prodding of our fondly held delusions. But Dave is not all snark and no substance. He often muses intelligently about language and semantics and marketing and, oh hell, I'll say it, life.
But for today, enjoy his 2006 predictions. Here's the section I'll be keeping in mind as we plan BlogHer:
Yeah. Know the feeling. let's try to avoid that.
Speaking of conference advice, another Dave, Dave Winer, waxes somewhat outraged about conferences and sponsorship and commercialism here.
He brings up several salient points.
First being one that has been discussed around the 'sphere lately: who are these conference organizers who want you to show up and speak, but won't even compensate you for your air and hotel?
Second: Speaking slots that are basically "paid for" with sponsorships.
Both of these issues come up again and again. But they only tend to come up amongst two sets of people:
1. People who are regular speakers, but don't work for an affiliated sponsor company, so they are personally hit with conference-going expenses and are sick of it.
2. People who actually really care that conferences become more and more about the same people talking about the same things, because only those people can afford to keep going to conferences with ridiculous asking prices!
I fall into both camps. But there really are a boatload of people who enjoy conferences for their networking and occasional other value, who have no trouble paying for their attendance, either because they have companies or their own way to pay for it, and who don't miss the lack of diverse voices on the dais because they're not really paying attention to what happens on the dais most of the time anyway!
So Dave W. and I are doing something similar: staying home more often. Guess that makes us capitalists who will let the market decide.
This particular post highlights one aspect of his blogging: the poking and prodding of our fondly held delusions. But Dave is not all snark and no substance. He often muses intelligently about language and semantics and marketing and, oh hell, I'll say it, life.
But for today, enjoy his 2006 predictions. Here's the section I'll be keeping in mind as we plan BlogHer:
"I predict there will be more conferences where the same people get together and confer with one another about how wonderful it is to get together and confer with one another, and then blog about how great it was to see everyone.
Repeat the previous paragraph, substituting the term "un-conferences" for "conferences."
Same as above, except substitute the word "camp.""
Yeah. Know the feeling. let's try to avoid that.
Speaking of conference advice, another Dave, Dave Winer, waxes somewhat outraged about conferences and sponsorship and commercialism here.
He brings up several salient points.
First being one that has been discussed around the 'sphere lately: who are these conference organizers who want you to show up and speak, but won't even compensate you for your air and hotel?
Second: Speaking slots that are basically "paid for" with sponsorships.
Both of these issues come up again and again. But they only tend to come up amongst two sets of people:
1. People who are regular speakers, but don't work for an affiliated sponsor company, so they are personally hit with conference-going expenses and are sick of it.
2. People who actually really care that conferences become more and more about the same people talking about the same things, because only those people can afford to keep going to conferences with ridiculous asking prices!
I fall into both camps. But there really are a boatload of people who enjoy conferences for their networking and occasional other value, who have no trouble paying for their attendance, either because they have companies or their own way to pay for it, and who don't miss the lack of diverse voices on the dais because they're not really paying attention to what happens on the dais most of the time anyway!
So Dave W. and I are doing something similar: staying home more often. Guess that makes us capitalists who will let the market decide.
// posted by ElisaC @ 11:12 AM 
