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Its all over baby, this time round.
Only a select hardcore team of members left, all asleep.
No doubt the full de-brief will be getting done once Dave_N wakes up.
all I can say is it ROCKED.....
Shak
(better go get some sleep, as have been awake for 26 hours straight).
did you ever find the thistle after the cittie of york Tosspot?
It took us a while to decide between us who was leading who home, but found our way eventually. :)
Aaah, hazy memories...
1) The showers in the Thistle were really bad :-) I got the choice of a boiling hot shower or a scalding hot shower, haha.
2) The pub was a bit small. I found it cramped for the number of attendees.
However, these are totally eclipsed by the good stuff :-) Thumbs up to the people that made it all happen.
I don't think inexperienced people were getting shunned by the more experienced people at all. I don't want to be rude, but it was more about how interesting and friendly you were, rather than what you knew. One example was Stuart (Bath Antiques) who was mostly there on a learning mission but was still well worth talking to.
You definitely got back what you put in at PubCon, IMHO. If you wanted to attend workshops and have people lecture you on techniques, you weren't going to find it there. But if you exchanged whatever knowledge you had, you ended getting some real nuggets in return.
But if you exchanged whatever knowledge you had, you ended getting some real nuggets in return.
Unfortunately I couldn't make this one but I'll certainly make the next one in the UK if not the one in the US.
That certainly wasn't my impression of the crowd at the hotel. As someone who's only managed 200 odd posts in a year and a half I'm certainly not a member of any "in crowd".
I may be wrong, but I can only assume that you went just to the Cittie of York last year and not to the thistle. I suppose I can see why someone could find it all a little bemusing if they just attend the afternoon. I know I did last year but I still enjoyed myself. Its been mentioned before but I think its worth mentioning again, if you possibly can it really is worth making it to the hotel too.
[edited by: ppg at 3:30 pm (utc) on Sep. 22, 2003]
Hidden layers and how google detects then
Linking structure's from basic to 30,000 pages+
Cloaking
Guestbook spam and how G is combating it
why you can't stop click fraud
domain farms
content writers
link hunting
How many Algo's G is running and how often they flip the Datacenters
Toolbar
googleguy
PR not been transfered
whats hot and whats not
Niche market places
and my life story
In some cases people tried to talk to me, when I was either going to the Bar ( Big Mistake ) or when I was talking privately about specific site problems or going for food. I tried to get back to those Guys on the day and all said if I don't catch up with today sticky.
DaveN
This party rocked! and Adam I missed you dude :(
DaveN gave me some great advice even though it took me awhile to get past his drunken accent
Nope, he talks like that all the time. In fact I think he gets more understandable the more he drinks :)
Good to meet all the people I did manage to speak to.
The only complaint I have was the woman at breakfast who took our order, placed the actual order on the table and then buggered off without ever fulfilling my desire for brown toast. So you guessed it, no real complaints.
Top event.
I think people needed to take heed of the advice to come early and stay late (myself included), and if you just came at 1 oclock in saturday, and left at 5 it would be a bit strange, and maybe you would feel a little excluded.
The news that the next gathering is to be a bit more structured i think will work better for everyone. Networking for those who like to network, more formal discussion for those who wish to learn, and drink for those who want to drink ;).
(At least that's the impression I got of the plans for the next one. Someone correct me if i'm wrong...)
Chris.
<added>
Ooops, I guess it took me a while to write that post - lots of others saying more or less the same thing, but hey.
Also, nice to finally meet you UKGimp - i think a pint in brum is in order :)
</added>
[edited by: tosspot17 at 3:12 pm (utc) on Sep. 22, 2003]
Sounds like I missed some interesting topics. Perhaps I will drink less mixers whilst standing at the bar and try to coax some other stuff out of you.
One tiny little bugbear... For those who don't make it to the Thistle Hotel there is nothing worse than hearing - "Well, you should of been in the Hotel lobby - that's where the real action was!" ... yes, but I paid for action in the PUB! ;)
1) Pubcon is purely a very informaL networking gathering held in a bar/pub. It is not a conference as such.
Personally I have gotten more out of WebmasterWorld conferences than any more formal setup. People speaking at me has never given me any great epiphany. Though reading between the lines as I sit across from other people who do this for a living has imparted unparalelled knowledge. Just because the person standing behind a podium is recognized by someone doesn't mean they are going to tell a room full of people the meaning of life. Though chatting with those same people in a less formal situation might be different.
2) If you're coming to your first pubcon then you will get the best benefit by making contact with people beforehand and arranging to meet in person at the event
Very true, yet at my first pubcon I just showed up. I was ready to talk with people and just get into as many conversations as I could and it was an absolutely unbelievable experience.
3) Contact the admins or senior members of WW if you need any help or advice as to who to meet/who is worthwhile meeting for your area of interest
I think the major downfall of this is that everyone is worth meeting. You can sometimes learn more from someone just starting than some of the old hacks. It depends if you expect to be handed the game or just to learn by appreciated the different perspectives that everyone has in regards to what we do.
4) Try and arrange or at least to be present to the gatherings on the day before and maybe the day after in the Hotel where most people are staying
100%. The conference to me has been the whole affair. Some of the best conversations happen when you least expect it in the strangest places.
5) Use your handle on your nametag
Definitely, I got confused everytime someone had their actual name. We don't have any connection to people's real names, just nicks.
and pmac, I feel your pain. LAst year I did the same (Vancouver to London for 4 days). I thought I was going to die when I got home.
yeah Dave, still a little choked. Next one guaranteed.
5) Use your handle on your name-tag
A lot of guys this time did use their real names on their tags,it was a little awkward at times keeping up with that many real names
[edited by: DaveN at 3:25 pm (utc) on Sep. 22, 2003]
[webmasterworld.com...]
[webmasterworld.com...]
[webmasterworld.com...]
I've been to enough conferences in other areas where it was a lot harder to meet and mix with people, let alone here any "trade secrets".
My main problem after any Pubcon is too many ideas too little time..
Wackybrit, did you try turning the temperature dial on the shower pressure handle?
Yeah, tried both extremities, and in the middle, leaving it running each time, always scalding. I guess I should have reported it as broken, but I was only there for one night, so I could put up with the heat (just!). :-)
Was excellent to see familiar faces and meet so many new people too. Thanks to all for their friendliness and openness. Caught up on the sleep now and its time to use my new found enthusiasm and the ideas gained at Pubcon.
Thanks to all.
I really liked the last few days and hope that I will stay in contact with some of the people I met here. It was really a fantastic crowd of SEOs and even non-SEOs.
Though I don't remember all the names and didn't say 'good bye' to all of you I hope you're not angry about that. Now I'm heading back into the rain to hear about the future of the web .... http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/live/
btw I'm also a first-timer and it was not that simple to get in contact with people in the pub (maybe because I'm not so open-minded) but the hotel lobby was the best. I think it's like some say about SES: Don't pay for it and don't get in, just sit in the lobby and talk to people. Well, I would go into the pub again, but just because I now know some people.
See you all at Orlando! :)
I've attended many "conferences" as a paying delegate. You are looking at typically £495 per day for an 8 hour session with a few coffees, a buffet lunch and to hang around with a total bunch of strangers.
Even if you did only do the 5 hours at the pub, you would be talking $99 for 5 hours or $20 an hour, and regardless of the food not being Egon Ronay approved it helped to absorb some beer, and it wasn't until almost last knockings at 5 that the paid bar came into effect.
At the "conferences" it was all discussed at a helicopter level.
There were plenty of 20 page plus threads of people saying they were going to be there and that the Thistle was the place to be.
My only complaint was that Wednesday to Saturday was never going to be long enough to talk to everyone that I wanted to, but to have met the American/Canadian contingent was great.
I went to the Irvine and Boston conference and enjoyed both, got so much incite and information just talking to people, buying them drinks is a good way to make friends mMMmm bribery :P
I didn't know many people when I went, but I made friends and got down names of people I met and what I talked to them about and then it follows up nicely once im back to the office :) Heck boston when I got there I took my stuff to my room and went to the bar and sat down in the middle of the table all by myself while everyone was around the outside of the room :P Then after a drink or so I went to the bar and talked to people then the nights never ended :D :D
My first PubCon, and despite not really knowing if I 'fitted in' with your typical attendee, I had a marvellous, fun and educational time.
My biggest thanks has to go to ciml for his fiendliness, helpfulness and staying power ;) - nice one Calum
Hearing about other peoples' approach to things, their attitudes to business and their advice in response to questions was riveting, absolutely fascinating, and I could have done it for days (apart from the obvious physical limitations with respect to sleep and alcohol).
The major benefits for me were:
1) Having my perspectives shifted. Being around guys who do it every day you soon understand how to 'think big'
2) Learning some seriously tasty specifics about optimisation and related unspeakables
3) Now I come to WebmasterWorld and a lot of the posts have voices and real people behind them.
Oh yeah, and the £100 Google adwords voucher might come in handy too :)
I'm so glad I took the advice to come along early. The outrageous price the Thistle charged for a last minute booking was 1000% worth it.
Hi to all I met at PubCon - see you next time :)
Cy
P.S. The only downside I can remember was giving an interview to seguru when a bit rubbered. If anyone hears it, the idiot with the scottish accent isn't me OK?
P.P.S. To the other scottish idiot - did you get back from that <ahem> "bar" OK?
I could not even begin to start naming names because everyone were absolutely fantastic and I would like to say a BIG thank you to everyone and look forward to meeting you all again very soon
I really enjoyed meeting everybody. I got a lot of real good advice. I hope I gave out some good advice as well. I don't think I have every drank that much beer. Thursday night was a lot of fun. I went to see Chicago with great group of people. I am still in England enjoying the country. I still can not get used to these keyboards.
that they charged me $35 for the first 5 minutes and $2 a minute after that
Uh oh :( And only once did I manage to get through to anyone but the answering machine. The internet access was extremely expensive, too.
Many great conversations until the early hours of the morning. I am really grateful to everyone who spent the time to chat, and especially grateful for those who bought the rounds.
My favorite quote of the conference: "I cloak so well, I keep running into myself" - [name removed to protect the innocent] (although I think he was quoting someone else, as I'm quite sure he's purely white hat)
edit: name removed
[edited by: jcoronella at 12:22 am (utc) on Sep. 23, 2003]
I also learned it is easier to get the blue dye out of the hair than it is to get off the skin.
"black hat and proud" t-shirts made up for the spammers.
"black hat wannabe" (for the white hatter)
"what's a black hat" - for the PPC people
Must get the tie dye factory details.......
My main problem after any Pubcon is too many ideas too little time..
That's the truth for me, too. My head is always swimming with ideas after PubConference ... this was #3 for me and I'm just amazed at how much knowledge Brett can pack into one room in the form of WebmasterWorld members.
My other problem is that there were so many incredible people to talk to that I didn't get to talk to half of the people I wanted to - other than "Hey! Nice to meet you! Let's find a time to chat later!" (and then 'later' never came)
I also walk away from PubConference each time with a few more really good friends - people I know I'll still be talking with twenty years from now.
It was an absolutely brilliant time! I can't wait to see everyone again in Orlando.
I managed to see a bit of London this year and I was pleasantly surprised.
But best of all I made loads of new friends
Bit gutted I missed the google voucher
Would have been nice if everyone could've had one
Personally, I would have prefered that to the free bar, not sure how others would feel about that though!
Sleep well everyone
See you in Orlando
