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	Phil's Blogservations Sunday, September 07, 2008 Posted by philgomes 9:51 PM Instructor's Notebook: BlogIndiana Instructor's Notebook: BlogIndiana Posted to the Edelman Digital blog: It's been a number of weeks since I attended the excellent first and (I sincerely hope) annual BlogIndiana conference at IUPUI. Here are some thoughts I came away with. First, I want you to sit down. Relax. Pour yourself some Stormhoek. Breathe. What I'm about to say might give you a bit of a shock: A serious Web-2.0-focused conference actually took place last month wherein 1) the keynote slot was not occupied by someone with the same four case studies and a lame book to sell, 2) there was no inane sniping with other conference organizers, and 3) I'm quite certain no one said "Web 2.0" once. Second, when you get to hear the perspectives of a blogger whose primary interest, and that of his or her readers, is Korean restaurants in the northwest counties of Indiana, you're reminded that that's what "social media" is all about — passion, insight, and a willingness to share — not celebrity and, in the words of William S. Burroughs, "getting there firstest with the brownest nose". Note: Just because someone in the Technorati 500 is on your radar and might even know your name doesn't mean you understand social media. Third, I was particularly inspired by Tom Britt's talk. Tom publishes local Web portals for the community around Geist Reservoir and surrounding areas. He's hit upon a perfect combination of how print (Yes, print! To heck with you and the Kindle you rode in on!) and the Web work in concert to serve hyperlocal needs. Fourth and finally, you owe it to yourself as a public relations professional and a digital citizen to go to smaller conferences like this with a geographical or topical focus. I can probably count on one hand the number of reasonably well-known social-media-savvy PR folks who make it a point to go to conferences as a regular attendee — where they've not been invited to speak! Many in that line of work only go to conferences where they've been placed on the agenda. NB: That kind of intellectual dishonesty will kill this business. And by "this business", I don't mean "social media consulting". I actually do mean "public relations". Technorati Tags: blogindiana, conferences | HOME | OBSESSIONS | FAQ | HEROES | CAREER | BLOG | CONTACT Note that the views expressed on this site do not necessarily reflect those of Phil's employer, its business partners, its clients, or anyone or anything that doesn't come from Phil's demented imagination. Hell, to be perfectly honest, even Phil disagrees with what he thinks sometimes. This site has virtually no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Clicking on a link doesn't automatically send a 1/2-cent donation to UNICEF. You can't buy, sell, auction, swap, find a date, win friends, influence people, cross the chasm, or decode the human genome using this site. You won't get free email. You won't win a free video game console. This site will not end world hunger, foster peace in the Middle East, help you smell better, teach you how to swing dance, or move the global economy from petroleum to hydrogen fuels. You'll learn a lot about this site's master, though, which amounts to a haphazard collection of strange and useless facts that pretty much won't help you at all.	ABOUT THIS BLOG This is the blog of Phil Gomes, SVP with Edelman Digital and senior advisor to the Society for New Communications Research. This blog not only discusses PR and media matters, but Phil's everyday observations about a variety of topics. Phil currently resides in Chicago, IL. EMAIL phil[at] philgomes.com View my page on PROpenMic SYNDICATE Feedburner ARCHIVE YAHOO! IM SKYPE WISH LIST PITCH POLICY MY PHOTOS www.flickr.com Photostream RSS Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz COMMENT AND TRACKBACK POLICY Comments and trackbacks are unmoderated, though I will delete the patently offensive ones. Any comments and trackbacks are the opinions of the individual writer of those comments and trackbacks, and not those of Phil Gomes, his employer, its clients, or its business partners. If you have a bone to pick, bug the people who wrote the comment or trackback.