What do these people have in common?
A word of mouth marketing expert
A consultant (actually several consultants)
A real estate investment broker
They all went to SOBCon07 (with a whole bunch of others).
They also have a common desire to learn and share the belief that we learn from everyone we encounter.
Innovation often results from the combination of known elements in new ways.
When such a diverse group of people are assembled together, innovative sparks are sure to fly.
The most amazing part of the event was being in the presence of great (and open) minds trying to figure out what comes next!
You can read about the SOBCon sessions at Jason Alba’s blog.
Note: My personal vote for the most impressive socks at SOBCon goes to Peter Flaschner.
Ann,
It was so cool to meet one of my blogging heroes (you) in person!
Kent
Posted by: Kent Blumberg | May 13, 2007 at 04:30 PM
Kent,
I'm blushing! I really can't get over what a great time we had AND how much we learned. It was so much fun meeting you!
Ann
Posted by: ann michael | May 13, 2007 at 04:45 PM
Ann - it was SO AWESOME getting to meet you in person. There are so many great memories from this weekend.
Posted by: Timothy Johnson | May 13, 2007 at 06:14 PM
Ditto Tim!!
Dude - I love the shades on your MyBlogLog photo - way cool!
Posted by: ann michael | May 13, 2007 at 06:52 PM
Ann, what a pleasure to meet you in person. Wasn't this a blast! See you at SOBCOn08! :-)
Posted by: Terry Starbucker | May 13, 2007 at 07:53 PM
Ann, it was great meeting you at SOBCon -- one of the best conferences I've ever attended!
Posted by: Connie Reece | May 13, 2007 at 09:01 PM
It was pretty cool meeting the elusive Ann Michael. It was also nice for once to learn you're just about what I imagined. It's just a waste we both had to jet out before even finishing our cappuccinos. It would have been such a great conversation with you and Liz over dinner.
Thanks again.
Posted by: Jeff Brown | May 13, 2007 at 10:00 PM
Very happy to have met you in person, Ann. It was a great conference and I'm already looking forward to next year.
Posted by: Steve Farber | May 13, 2007 at 10:33 PM
Wow - hi guys!
I agree with you, Steve and Terry, I am already looking forward to next year's event, Maybe we can convince Liz to do a SOBCon08 January meeting (of course we'd need to do that one in Steve & Jeff's part of the country - San Diego!).
Connie - it was really unique. The fact that several of us have gotten to know each other online was pretty neat. We not only got to learn but we also got to meet "old friends" face to face!
Jeff - Next year we're doing dinner for sure!!! It was a bummer having to leave - at least I got to sit next to you most of the day!!!
Posted by: ann michael | May 13, 2007 at 11:27 PM
Ann,
Nice seeing you at the event. I agree—the diversity in backgrounds was one of the things that made it special. I had a lot of fun and met some great folks. Nice putting a face to your name.
Posted by: David Armano | May 14, 2007 at 12:30 AM
Dave-
It was great meeting you and I really liked your presentation. It really brought out some of the diversity in the audience.
I think it was interesting that while the conference was a "blogging conference" the real underlying point was authenticity in communication (ANY communication!). Thanks for speaking!
Ann
Posted by: ann michael | May 14, 2007 at 08:26 AM
Ann - It was great to finally meet you.
Like everyone before me I was very impressed with the entire event. Everyone walked away having learned something new and that makes it a grand success.
Posted by: Tim Draayer | May 14, 2007 at 06:23 PM
Tim - I know what you mean it was really worth it and it was great to meet you after all those emails!
Posted by: ann michael | May 14, 2007 at 06:39 PM
Ann, I really loved meeting you. It seemed that for a while on Saturday, every conversation I was in so were you. I love your perspective on things and would love to continue the conversation.
Posted by: Dawud Miracle | May 16, 2007 at 11:35 AM
Dawud: I enjoyed meeting you as well - call me any time!!!
(BTW - you get the award for the coolest name! Is there a story behind it? Does it have a special meaning?)
Posted by: ann michael | May 16, 2007 at 12:52 PM
Thanks Ann.
Well, Miracle is quite literally my surname from birth. My dad's sister has traced it back something like 14 generations. Pretty neat, huh?
Dawud...I was born David and Dawud is the Arabic of David. I've been studying/practicing Sufism for 10 years with a teacher/guide from Jerusalem. I changed my name to represent a very new direciton in life and to remind me of the Truth that lies within.
Now you know more about my name than most people do.
Posted by: Dawud Miracle | May 16, 2007 at 11:57 PM
Way cool!
Posted by: ann michael | May 17, 2007 at 07:55 AM
It was great meeting you. What an amazing weekend. I'm still recovering. ;-)
Posted by: Lorelle | May 17, 2007 at 09:02 PM
Hi Lorelle!
It was great meeting you as well. I can't get over how many great people I've met and how many new blogs I've found!
Ann
Posted by: ann michael | May 17, 2007 at 10:54 PM
Ann - sorry I'm late to the party. Still got a hug for me?
Thanks for being such a wonderful pal at SOBCon. You are as amazing live as on your blog, and that's saying something.
Here's to MANY more years of friendship, and big hugs. You're an all star with a capital A!
Posted by: Phil Gerbyshak | May 21, 2007 at 11:14 PM
Of course, Phil, there's always a hug for you! Don't think of yourself as late - think of your visit as extending the party!
Posted by: ann michael | May 22, 2007 at 08:18 AM