Posted on : September 23, 2008
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First, let me tell you that this was the first expo, convention, or any activity I have ever been to related to anything I do. And because of this, my reasons for going are different now than before I went. That is a very important point and why it took a day or so for everything to sink in.
I wrote a few posts on my blog about attending. They weren`t very in depth because I did not have time to write an encyclopedia while at the Expo, but there will be more. The most commons questions asked in comments was Was it worth it? . Yes, if I would have had to pay for it and could afford to, I would have, but it was a bonus from the company I do ecommerce work for. But, the answer is yes, if you are serious about blogging.
These People Are Real
We all know that bloggers are real, in the sense that the internet could not be distributed hallucination. But I also know that there is a difference between watching Viva Las Vegas and going to Las Vegas. A big difference.
A comment.
A post. A Stumble. A Digg. Stats. Avatars. I can count these. They can be measured. They exist as data. Bloggers are people and that lesson alone is worth the trip. And they are great to talk to.
Validation
I have spent almost 6 years telling people, I do stuff on the internet. What do you do? , they ask. Things is my reply. It is sort of like living in a world where I am the only one that speaks the language I do and the only contact with my fellow internetians is here. A that is hard to deal with at times.
Energy
Once I got over the initial shock of being in a building with hundreds of people who understood this language, I picked up the energy. Everyone who was at Blog World Expo had a stake in the internet. And it mattered to them.
Last night, I got home. Last night, I couldn`t go to sleep because I started throwing ideas in this new vortex of energy I picked up. And that is how ideas become real even before they exist.
I Learned A Lot
Ok, this was one of the reasons to go that existed before I went and the first one in this list.
Every one of the panels I went to taught me something, even when I knew a lot of the points that were being presented at a particular panel. Because the questions from the attendees taught me.
And sometimes I forget the basics. Sometimes sitting alone on a computer in a room far, far away, I think complexity is the answer. It doesn`t have to be that way.
The Free Stuff
Yes, there was a cornucopia of free stuff. And if you went the last day, they threw it at you just to get rid of it. The closest thing I had to a tech T shirt before I went was a faux vintage Pacman shirt and an old Activision shirt I picked up somewhere and refuse to let do of. Now I have a few more, plus books, stickers, pens, bags and the list goes on.
Your Reason
These reasons were listed in order of importance. And they are almost exactly in reverse order I had them in before I left and like I said, most were not even on the initial list. So my answer is yes. It was worth it.
Now, it`s a leap. But all I can tell you I am sure that whatever reason you have for going next year, if you have never been to Blog World Expo, will change after you go. And that, in itself, is reason to go.
Stephan Miller is a blogger, affiliate marketer, and ecommerce webmaster.
Stephan Miller
Digital Products Review
