11 Lessons Learned Inside a "Conversational Beehive"
Sunday, May 13, 2007 at 07:55PM 
Bzzzzz...bzzz...bzz...bz...b...
The bees are gone. The beehive in Chicago is empty.
But the buzz created will live on.
What was SOBCon07 like? It was like being in a caffeinated, amped-up beehive for 36 hours surrounded by a sea of never-ending conversations.
While the conversations may have ended in Chicago, new conversations and new relationships are now beginning throughout the world.
The selflessness demonstrated by over 100 SOBCon "designers of conversation" was overwhelming. Limits were pushed. Conversations ran deep. Ideas were challenged. Kindness and love filled the hive.
Here's some "honey" I discovered while buzzing around the "conversational hive."
1. Your mission? Know yourself. Discover your strengths and core competencies and write about that.
(Phil Gerbyshak)
2. The internet has no "erase" button. Everything changes when you hit "publish."
3. You can't build a community...you make room for one.
(Liz Strauss)
4. The Four C's of Blogging:
a. Community. Invest yourself and get involved.
b. Consistency. Find your voice and speak up. Experiment. Be true to yourself.
c. Clarity. Have a vision and see where you are going. Be clear and articulate.
d. Content. Frame your conversation; don't just report. Share your knowledge, and serve others.
5. Stop calling yourself a blogger. Blogging has unnecessary baggage which is difficult to overcome. Bloggers are one-dimensional; people are not. You really are in the personal publishing business.
6. Be a "conversational architect. " Don't be a blogger.
(Dave Armano)
7. A blog is a free opportunity to experience your brand.
8. There are two types of brands: default and intentional. A default brand has no intention. An intentional brand is created with purpose. The two skills needed for an intentional brand are creativity and caring.
(Mike Wagner)
9. Advertising is the price for being boring.
10. The Marketing Department is all output. The Customer Service Department is all input. What we need now is a "Conversation Department."
(Andy Sernovitz)
11. The beret? It was a hit. Who'd a thunk?
---Tom
P.S. Jason Alba, founder of Jibber Jobber, has a great summary of the SOBCon07 speakers on his personal site.
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Reader Comments (7)
Thanks for making it great for me in Chicago friend! See you soon!
Your fellow Connecticut-ican,
Terry
Can't wait for '08!
Tom
Yeah, catching up with Ben Y. was a hoot and I wish we had more time to chat, as well.
Heck, that's why we'll have another sobcon and maybe add a day, too!
Tom
Just stumbled upon your excellent summary of SOBCON07. Thanks for this and aren't you glad I took that handsome photo of you and the guys that night?
Glad you liked the SOBCon07 summary.
Handsome? Where? Geesh...I must be going blind :-)
Thanks touching base!
Tom