Life-in-Progress

Well, today is day #2 and it’s been quite the interesting ride so far. It’s hard to be substantive at a public computer (no laptop – don’t ask!) while standing on sore feet between sessions, but this is a random brain dump of some different things I’ll be circling back to in more detail over the next week (once I get some sleep):

Yesterday’s Sessions:

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh discussion of “culture as brand.” Nothing new from Tony, but still relevant – maybe even moreso, now that so many companies are facing financial tough times and are finding it increasingly tempting to sell out their culture and values in face of fiscal pressures. Tons of things I want to write about this one in more detail later.

Charlene Li on the Future of Social Networks. Some interesting things, but very high level. Also made some contentions that I’m not sure I agree with. Brilliant woman, but not always the most exciting or dynamic speaker in front of a large crowd.

Politics, Technology and Pop Culture panel. Great, great stuff. Larry Lessig looked like he might tear his hair out at the end, as too much “tech will fix everything” KoolAid was invading reason and logic about the true nature of the modern American political animal. Tons of things I want to write about this one in more detail later.

Meeting with the founders of BatchBlue about an exciting new partnership they have with some other like-minded companies that has great value for small business. Tons of things I want to write about this one in more detail later.

Today’s Schedule:

“Ditch the Valley, Run for the Hills” panel on trying to start tech startups outside the Silicon Valley – the pros and the cons. Scoble was on the panel (which I didn’t realize until I got there), but the person whose involvement brought me there was Penelope Trunk, whom I’ve been wanting to meet for over a year.

Some very interesting debate, but one that I feel strongly still skips over several key points, not the least of which is the totally screwed up expectation of tech companies that they SHOULD be getting VC funding. The sense of entitlement or the sense that is the path that a business SHOULD take is one that I have SUCH an issue with. Your local restaurant or dry cleaner doesn’t get a VC to back their business. Why should a software company? Get over yourself. Suck it up like every other small business owner in the world, and make it happen — if that means you need a ‘day job’ and get your product off the ground at night, then fine. The VC thing is something I find so puerile I have a hard time not getting crabby about it.

For a great overview of the panel – and a more fully fleshed-out version of Penelope’s point – you can check out Louis Gray’s post, “Is the Valley Too Expensive for Normal People to Launch Startups?”

With any luck, I’ll get a few minutes to talk to Penelope later. [Turns out not. Scheduled to talk Monday instead.] I’d like to interview her about how CEO’s need to adapt their business models in the face of funding problems. I think it’d make a good story. And it’s an excuse to meet with someone who tends to write a lot of things I often find myself agreeing with.

OpenID and Identity Portability and the Enterprise panel. Very good. Unfortunately, I attended it with Alex Wellen of CNNPolitics.com (whom I gave a brief tutorial on the concept on the walk over beforehand), only to have him try to create an OpenID (on OpenID.org) during the presentation and have it err out all over the place. Duh! Geez. Talk about bad PR. The panel was great, though, and one of the few that has actually even ADDRESSED the Enterprise Pink Elephant.

[Related note: I continue to fail spectacularly at explaining to my husband the true value of OpenID in the consumer space. I spent the whole panel thinking that I wish he'd been there, since the discussion was very valuable. Does anyone know of any resources/blogs/articles that break it down really clearly for non-tech people? I'd especially like something that outlines where the technology is today AND where it is going.]

In the afternoon, I with Sunil of FreshBooks new partners for some more interview material on their new web partnership for small businesses.

And then at 5:00 p.m. last night was a large session with the famous Gary Vaynerchuk on Video Blogging. Honestly, I love Gary as a speaker. I really do. He might be a little exhausting to take for too long on a one-on-one basis, but he is NEVER a dull presenter. Ever. And his audience engagement is sensational. It’s really cool to attend an event where people leave (especially after the end of a long day) totally pumped, because his energy level is contagious.

Over-all thoughts and impressions:

Between PubCon and SXSW, I think I am over-dosing on the “social media” KoolAid. Seriously. I feel like the self-congrats in this arena are so much over-the-top preaching to the choir that it’s making me seriously consider giving up all my technology and living in a cabin in the woods somewhere.

The social media celebrity bit is also wearing a bit thin. Not taking anything away from successful industry leaders like Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, etc., but the fan thing that flocks up around them is starting to make me a bit queasy. I feel like I’m at a sci fi convention watching hysterical fans flip out at the Star Trek cast’s on-stage appearance. I have no doubt I’ll be writing quite a bit more about this in the next few days also.

Wayne Sutton may have said it best during the final panel at PubCon on Thursday: “I refuse to mention the T-word!” I love Twitter – and I’ve been Tweeting almost non-stop for both conferences this week. But I am SO SICK AND TIRED of this whole space being reduced to JUST that. Christ. All roads do NOT have to lead back to Twitter. Enough already.

Anyway, that’s my little rant in the midst of what is — so far — a great experience.

I’ve decided that conferences are cool because they are like the best parts of college — cool ideas and great discussions with smart people on topics you actually care about — but without tests and homework and student loans. And even better, it’s on the boss’ dime (in most cases) and all the parties have corporate sponsorship and full bars.

So, off to enjoy more ‘college light.’ More later. Lots and lots more – both here and on Social Computing Magazine.

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