A couple of months ago, I realized I would be playing a larger role in web publishing at my work, moving more towards a user awareness role. Realizing this direction, and knowing I had some budget, I decided I should attend Confab, the first conference on content strategy. It was sold out, but by a stroke of luck the organizer offered me one of thirteen … more »

I had no idea it cost so much to run a Wordcamp conference. Apparently Wordcamp Dallas cost about $20k. Wow, I thought it would have been a tenth of that. As much as I enjoy them, I don’t think I’ll ever get involved in planning and running a conference.

Speakers and fees: an insiders view | Speaker Confessions. In a world of online video and online interaction (whether from videocasts, podcasts, or webinars), why do people still go to conferences to watch speakers in person? This writer says there’s more energy in the room, which you can’t duplicate through virtual mediums.  I’m not sure the energy in the room is a sufficient benefit, though. … more »

Before I met my Jane 11 years ago, she spent about seven weeks traveling across Europe. It was a time she trying to answer some questions, and during some point in her walking and train-riding and city exploring, she found answers. She also fell in love with Europe—with the little narrow streets, the bustling plazas, the rich histories, the winding rivers, the chocolates and pastries. … more »

The End of Doc Train Conferences: The Content Wrangler.

2009 Conferences – Never mind the quantity, experience the quality..

I occasionally write for LDS Tech, a blog/forum site for the LDS Church’s IT department, where I work. My latest article is titled “Twitter and LDS General Conference.” Here’s an excerpt: When participants add hashtags to their tweets, such as #ldsconf, Twitter enables a community of people to gather virtually during an event. Through the hashtag, you can connect to a community of all other … more »

Highlights from Doctrain East 2008 — Simplifying Complexity

Interview with Scott Abel, Conference Organizer Extraordinaire | I’d Rather Be Writing – Tom Johnson.

Last week I caught up with Scott Abel, a well-known content management guru, for an interview. As you probably know, Scott has been actively organizing conferences all over the United States for the past couple of years — and he’s had tremendous success doing it. I wanted to know the story behind Scott’s move into conference organization and why he’s been so successful with it. … more »

When I first heard about Twitter, I thought it was the dumbest thing in the world, a fad that would quickly disappear. But it didn’t, and now that I’ve learned more about how Twitter can be used, I’m convinced it’s an essential tool everyone should have and, ideally, everyone should be following me on. Twitter is a cross between blog posting and instant messaging. The … more »