Looking for your input to make Bloggers Connect SF '09 the best one yet
By Daniel Rothamel, the Real Estate Zebra, Friday, March 27, 2009.I don't know about you, but I'm already very excited about what we have in store for Real Estate Connect San Francisco 2009. The program is shaping up to be not only interesting and exciting, but innovative in its own right. There will plenty of great speakers, live debates, collective brainstorming, and live innovation. Even if you have been to a previous Connect, this one is sure to be a different, exciting, and rewarding experience unlike anything you will get from any other industry event. The best part is, you're still in time for early bird registration pricing.
One of the major components of any Connect are the workshops. This year, there are three-- the Internet Marketing Summit, ConnectTech (brand new for this year), and my personal favorite, Bloggers Connect.
I am, as we speak, working on finalizing the program for Bloggers Connect, and I want to make sure that it is the best Bloggers Connect ever. This is the 5th consecutive Bloggers Connect, and is the industry's longest running event of its kind, I want to make sure that it stays on the leading edge. In January, we made some major changes to the Bloggers Connect program, tried out some new things, and got really great feedback. I want to keep that momentum going, so I'm looking for your input. Tell me what topics, speakers, or program elements would really get you excited about social media. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, or send me an email: daniel@inman.com
I'd love to get tons of great input from you. Our audience is filled with super intelligent and insightful folks, and together, I know that we can make Bloggers Connect SF '09 the best Bloggers Connect ever.
So, don't hesitate to share your ideas, I'd love to hear them. And, don't forget to take advantage of the early bird pricing, you only have a few more weeks. See you in San Francisco!
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Submitted by Dave Gooden on March 27, 2009 - 12:31pm.
I think it would be great if you could find some speakers with real world experience in making money using Twitter. I have a couple of tips for gaining followers with very little effort - but monetizing followers is another story.
Dave Gooden
Co-founder
LakePlace.com
lake property | land for sale
Submitted by Jay Thompson on March 31, 2009 - 7:08am.
Having attended 3 of the 4 Bloggers Connects, I can say I liked the format of the last one in NYC best, though panels still have a place.
Personally, I'd like to see "Bloggers Connect" evolve into "Social Media Connect" by including some SM topics other than blogging {gasp!}. While blogging is a huge (arguably the most important) component of a social media strategy, it's not the only component.
Having been a speaker at Bloggers Connect, I can assure you the feedback I get most consistently is that there isn't enough time for questions. I think the additional Q&A time allowed in NYC09 was a large part of what made it the best one yet. (Yes, larger than the switch from panels to individual speakers). There is of course, only so much time in a day, and since the speaker slots are limited to 45 minutes or so, that doesn't give each speaker a lot of time to present and open up for questions.
I wouldn't mind speaking on a topic for 15 minutes and opening up for 30 minutes of questions (or maybe 20/25 -- the point being NOT to speak for 30 or 40 mins and only allowing 5 or 10 minutes for questions). That's kind of bass-ackwards from most conferences, but that audience interaction is where people really learn the most.
Keep the speaker Q&A session too.
What would be really cool is to turn BC into a two day event. There is clearly more than enough material to cover. Obviously there is already a great deal of material being covered across Inman Connect, and expanding Bloggers Connect to a two day event would likely cut attendance in other Inman topics/breakouts. This is probably not politically correct.
So how about opening up a room the day after Bloggers Connect -- call it the Bloggers Lab, or Social Media Lab -- where speakers could volunteer to be on hand to answer questions and provide some one-on-one "consulting" or perhaps some "mini sessions". No set agenda, no timelines. Just some knowledgeable folks hanging around helping "walk ins". Between 4 or 5 speakers, you could probably keep the room covered. This might satisfy the audience desire for additional Q&A and since people could pop in and out for just a few minutes it wouldn't necessarily conflict with any of the happenings in the "main conference".
Heck, be bold and innovative. Keep the Bloggers Lab open through the entire conference!
In my experience, the attendees are clamoring for more information and more time to get answers to their specific questions. At every Connect, I have dozens of "in the hallway" conversations. And they are great. The problem is, people have to hunt you down or randomly bump into you for these conversations to happen. Provide a central location where anyone (not just those who make the effort to come a day early for Bloggers Connect) can find and talk to an "expert" in a semi-private atmosphere and you'd have a whole lot of folks getting a whole lot of answers.
Oh, and better wifi than is typically available would be nice too. ;)
Jay Thompson
Broker / Owner
Thompson's Realty
Blog: www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com
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Submitted by Mike Mueller on March 31, 2009 - 10:28am.
Love the Bloggers Lab idea.
My vote for topics - Hyperlocal Blogging, Hyperlocal Video.
Always happy to speak and I'd be more than happy to be a part of the Bloggers Lab!
Mike Mueller
Social Media Dude
Submitted by Daniel Rothamel, the Real Estate Zebra on March 31, 2009 - 11:33am.
Dave,
I like your idea. I think that practical usage of twitter is a subject that will probably be covered here and there, even if a whole session isn't devoted to it, but I'll see what I can do.
Jay,
Great feedback. You'll be happy to know that we're trying to address a lot of the issues that you raised. I, too, would love to see Blogger's Connect expand. The main issue that we bump up against is space in the hotel.
One of the things in the works is the idea of having actual post-conference follow-up sessions with attendees and presenters via conference call, which would offer more time for q&a and in-depth exploration. How's that sound?
As far as re-branding goes, that I something that I think will eventually happen, we just couldn't change the name for THIS one. Perhaps in NY we can go with a new name for a new year. :-)
http://www.RealEstateZebra.com