Open Suggestion to Chris Pirillo on Gnomedex 8.0

It looks like Chris Pirillo is starting to organize Gnomedex 8.0 in Seattle in August this year. I got an email from him yesterday where he is giving people who have attended in the past the chance to sign up early.

But, the question I have is this: should I even go?

I went to Gnomedex last year for the first time. While there were some highlights, I was left questioning whether it was worth crossing the country for (I live in Florida).

Here were my basic “beefs” with it:

1. There were too many speakers talking about stuff I simply couldn’t care less about.
2. On a related note, there just wasn’t as much stuff that would be interesting to bloggers.
3. As a Gnomedex newbie, I found that some of the regulars had a bit of a good-ol’-boy thing going. I don’t fault anybody for this in the slightest, but it would have been nice to (if possible) have something that helps encourage mingling between the regulars and the newbies.

Aside from that is, of course, the fact that it is in Seattle and I’m in Florida. I happen to agree with Bwana who recently twittered that we should bring Gnomedex to Florida. Not gonna happen, but I can dream.

So, here are my suggestions to Chris for Gnomedex 8.0:

1. This is going to be a room full of bloggers, so let’s make the topics talked about relevant to what we care about: blogging, tech, social media, etc. Not, I repeat NOT, things like new money and alternative energy. Get my drift? Chris, those speakers last year went over everybody’s head and nobody cared. The Gnomedex site says ” Influencers, Entrepreneurs, and Tech Enthusiasts!” and I think the topics should be things tech enthusiasts care about.
2. Likewise, talks pertinent to Internet Business and entrepreneurship in the new media would be great topics. Again, the Gnomedex site says “Essential for the success of Internet businesses”. Well, last year was anything but that.
3. The single track structure was good, but I think it would be more satisfying if the above points are noted when scheduling speakers.

Should I go to Gnomedex 8.0? I don’t know yet. Chances are I will do it. But, I will be watching to see who is scheduled to speak. Also, it would be great to see some creative networking opportunities be part of the schedule. After all, you are going to be streaming this whole thing on your live stream, so give us a reason to actually cross the country rather than just watching on Ustream.

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