Kicking Off Gnomedex

Tonight I attended the Gnomedex registration party and had a blast. Kudos to Rachel for recommending Gnomedex last spring. I had some amazing conversations and met some incredibly interesting people:

Chris Brogan: My new BFF started the evening off with bang and asked what cause I’d be willing to fall on my sword for. That’s definitely not a conversation starter I’ve ever heard before. It led to a great discussion about privacy.

Dave (from Emma) Delaney: Dave entertained with his stories of working in a house in Nashville with a screen door and a porch. Alas, the company’s grown enough they’ll have to move soon. He was kind enough to compare favorably my sketch of me to Emma’s. He also shared details about the Nashville Barcamp coming up next weekend (August 18).

Todd Martini: I had the pleasure of chatting with Todd on a wide range of subjects, from living in Seattle (probably can’t, I don’t like seafood), to being an Italian named “Todd.” His company, Alex’s Coupons, is doing great things for children with cancer too.

John Blue: I was surprised to learn that John and his company are doing podcasts targeted at the agricultural industry. My family farms, and while my dad can’t go a day without checking his email, I not sure he’s familiar with podcasts. However, it sounds like John’s group has hit the right balance.

Identity Woman aka Kaliya Hamlin: Kaliya shared the cool story about a community rallying around its local, family-owned grocery story after a union came around making noises about boycotting(?) the store. She helped the store create a blog to tell its story. Thanks for the tip about outside.in.

Karin Klein: A truly charming individual, Karin was very enjoyable to talk to whenever I ran into her throughout the evening.

Jon Staenberg: My first official meeting of a VC (yes, I’m a newbie) was fascinating. Unfortunately, he only got to attend this evening’s event.

Vanessa Fox: Vanessa gave her first had account of winning Werewolf last night. She also had some great insight into maximizing local ads. I’m embarrassed to say that it took me a second to place her. Sigh. I’ll figure out where everybody goes—eventually.

I think that’s most everyone, at least everyone I got a card from or remember names of. All in all, I had a great time and can’t wait for things to get started in the morning.

Comments?