technology-conference

What about August 9th through the 11th (2007) for Gnomedex 7.0? I’m sure there are going to be scheduling conflicts, but consider this your “warning shot.” I realize this may concide with some family vacations, but you realize that Seattle is an amazing destination for kids of all ages? Okay, so… we’re thinking about setting the date for the next Gnomedex for that weekend (evening kick-off event on Thursday the 9th, and the conference on both Friday and Saturday). We’ll be doing it at Bell Harbor again, so… start making plans, and prepare to snap your passes quickly. Group discounts will be available this year.

Read more on Tentative Gnomedex 2007 Dates…

I’m not sure who started the rumor, but Gnomedex isn’t dead. At least, not to my knowledge? If it’s dead, nobody bothered to tell me. We’ve had quite a bit of upheaval lately, but throwing Gnomedex out is not one of the things that’s happened. Quite the opposite in fact! We haven’t done any updates on the Gnomedex Web site largely because there hasn’t been much news to share.

Read more on Gnomedex is not Dead…

Before you send me an email with constructive feedback for Gnomedex 6.0, I’d encourage you to post your thoughts in this page’s comment thread instead. I’ve listened to a lot of feedback over the past couple of days, doing my best to adjust on-the-fly. I answered a lot of questions one-on-one, too. Still, I wanted a semi-formal way to collect your impressions in a single thread – so that everybody can see what could have gone better, and what went better than expected. I should list twenty things we could improve upon for next year, but I’m really tired and want to sleep for a week first. Feel free to post anonymously if you want, or send trackbacks from your own site to this post. I know we could have done a few better, so it’s not like I’m only looking to hear about the “good stuff.” Ponzi might be putting together a survey soon, too. Until then, don’t hold back – what are your thoughts on this year’s Gnomedex while it’s still fresh in your mind?

Read more on Gnomedex Freedbacking…

Okay, you know how most conference t-shirts suck? They’re splashed with sponsor logos and no fun to wear on Casual Fridays. Who really cares that you were at “Fast Food Fest ‘99″?! I have a million and one of those types of t-shirts in my closet, and they all get thrown into the “donate to Goodwill” pile at the end of the year. Sorry, but I’m not interested in being a walking NASCAR chassis. Last year, we got a little geeky with the “Feed Me” shirt. This year, we’re totally stylin’ with a shirt that says it all without saying anything:

Read more on Best Conference T-Shirt Ever…

From Derek K. Miller:

Rather than ladling more crap for Chris and Ponzi to do at this late date, if you’d like a sample of your voice mail message about Gnomedex to be included and haven’t sent it already, record something TODAY and email it to me at dkmiller [.at.]pobox.com as an MP3 file or via www.yousendit.com/ NO LATER THAN THE END OF TOMORROW (Summer Solstice, June 21) – thanks. I’ll be releasing the final song as Creative Commons-Attribution (i.e. commercial use fine, remixing fine, re-recording fine, synch fine, whatever), and if I can find a way to post the original GarageBand and WAV multitracks without killing my bandwidth (maybe at archive.org), I’ll do that too.

Read more on The Gnomedex Song…

We’ve got a single OPML file containing the links and feeds of every 2006 Gnomedexer, thanks to the code sleuthing of Kosso. This is good for importing “everybody” en masse into your news aggregator. However, it’s not always as efficient as a single feed. So, Shayne whipped out a 400-line script to convert OPML to RSS – and I think we’re going to call it “KissMyOPML” for fun. The PHP script will be open source, available for everybody soon, and is also a sign of things to come in the near future with Gada.be (which will mash feeds faster than the average install). Remember, Gada.be outputs OPML for every search query; think about it. You can subscribe to the Gnomedexer feed immediately – and if your name isn’t listed in the conference attendee OPML, please let us know ASAP so we can get the proper information in there.

Read more on OPML to RSS…

Just when you thought Gnomedex couldn’t get any better, Senator John Edwards signs on as our Keynote. The senator is a long-standing supporter of technology – including podcasting and blogging. Every year, we wonder how we’re going to top ourselves. When conversations started with Senator John Edwards’ office, they were intrigued and enthralled with our approach to content! Sentator Edwards will quickly turn his time over to the Gnomedex audience, fielding questions and fostering discussion over how technology could and should play a role in our world. This is fantastic! I’m sure you’ll agree, no matter your political persuasion. This is a tremendous opportunity to have your voice heard. Does anybody know any political bloggers out there? I don’t know any…

Read more on Gnomedex Keynote: Senator John Edwards…

I’m so incredibly honored to have Steve joining us on the stage at Gnomedex this year. For a while there, it was looking as though he’d never leave his house again. Seriously, I started to get worried when he’d call and leave voicemails at three in the morning after mixing NoDoz with Attention.XML. I’m happy to report that he’s put down his NoDoz bottle and has seen the Gnomedex light once again – it’s that bright flashy thing that’s been drawing his “attention” for the past couple of years. Many of you might not remember me saying this, but Steve truly helped catalyze last year’s Gnomedex conference. Rumor has it that Dave and Steve will be having a contest over who has the fuzzier face. Ponzi is still recovering from last year’s rugburn. In all honesty, it’s great to have Steve on the dais. “On the dais, on the dais – oh oh oh, on the dais. C’mon and rock me on the dais!”

Read more on Steve Gillmor is Coming out of Retirement…

Okay, it’s not enough that we’re giving you breakfast and lunch at Gnomedex, but Ponzi just told me that we’re also giving you dinner on Friday and Saturday night!!! It’s not going to be a three-course layout either night, but should prove to be something substantial (far beyond carrot sticks and dip). She says: “it probably won’t look like dinner, but it’ll be filling.” I’ll have the menus posted soon enough so you can decide for yourself, but we’re basically telling everybody that we treat all Gnomedex attendees like VIPs. This includes all Cove Gnomedexers, too. Now you wonder why we’re still looking for sponsors – this food extravaganza is killing our budget!

Read more on Gnomedex Will Feed You Dinner…

Yes, the main room (Bay Auditorium) for Gnomedex is SOLD OUT – but the Cove, much like last year, is still available. We can still get you access to everything else! We’ve arranged to have a unidirectional audio/video feed sent to an adjacent room throughout the conference’s duration – so you can enjoy Gnomedex in person, too! This is exactly what we did last year, and everybody had a great time (in fact, Cove Gnomedexers returned this year as early registrants).

Read more on Gnomedex 6.0: Sold Out!!!…

Even with fantastic speakers, sponsors, and attendees lining up around the corner, Ponzi and I still face the challenges of conference production and direction head-on. Here’s the thing: the two of us are doing the work of ten people, on top of our other responsibilities for Lockergnome, The Chris Pirillo Show, etc. We both have to handle and/or manage Event Planning, Conference Coordinating, Press Queries, Registration Services, Attendee Administration, Speaker Selection, General Hosting, Web Site Updates, Risk Assessment, Special Equipment Needs, Facility Research, Program Management, Project Management, Print Materials and Quality Assurance, Schedule Arrangements, Budget Calibration and Financial Responsibilities, On-site Services, Food and Beverage Selection, Party Locations and Requirements, Online and Offline PR, Ticket Discrepancies, etc. – between two of us!

Read more on Conference Planning…

Don’t ask me why we didn’t do the redesign before announcing Gnomedex, but it’s better late than never! I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. We may just keep the same layout indefinitely (but swap out the header graphics). If you notice any bugs, just consider this new theme “under construction.” I know people are already asking about next year’s Gnomedex, but let’s get through this one first. We still have a few more sponsors to announce, as well as a few more speakers. Of course, you can expect more surprises at the event itself.

Read more on Gnomedex Web Site Overhauled…