Top > DaveNet archive > 2002 > Weblogs in Meatspace > Other obvious things
1. There must be 802.11b in the hotel. Everyone must have a room. The conference runs 24 hours a day for two or three days. The opening session (an idea stolen from MacHack, thanks) is at midnight the first night, to stress that this is a weird conference, leave your expectations at the airport. It also levels the playing field for European bloggers, everyone is jetlagged. There are two ballrooms, one for speaking and one for blogging. There are twenty PCs (or Macs) in the blogging room, which is basically our press room. This is a noisy room. If you want quiet space, go write in your bedroom.
2. Your schedule is on the Web. You implement policies. Can anyone make an appointment with you? Block out times you don't want to meet with anyone, or where you have set up meetings with other bloggers. Make sure to leave some time for sleeping. Sign up for dinners and lunches. In year one this app would be pretty primitive. But in year two and beyond it becomes, as with Davos, the desktop of the conference. People who master this app have a much richer experience than ones who don't. Believe me it's like that at Davos.
3. Everyone who attends or speaks must have a weblog. No exceptions. So if Jimmy Carter wants to come and tell us what it's like to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he must first tell us on the Web. Same for George W Bush, Steve Jobs or Jack Valenti. But the conference has "normal" sessions, howtos for bloggers, panels for big issues, keynotes from megabloggers, and A-teamers. Awards. A technology track for developers. Perhaps even a session for people with products they want to promote through our blogs (a chance to pick up some cool new toys for free).
4. The conference would be cheap. Bloggers don't have much money. No sponsorship, at least not in year one. Sponsorship always influences what's said and done. In general, the goal is to mirror the Web in meatspace. The vast majority of weblogs are unsponsored. People disagree about this, but I'm a hardass. No sponsorship means no subsidies. So it's gotta be a no frills show, and that's okay, because it's the ideas and energy I want. I don't care if you have a lot of money.
5. Anyway, I would love to go to this conference. Lots more ideas. I'm going to talk some more with Scoble. Maybe start a mail list. Let's see what happens.
6. Dave Winer
7. PS: I call it "Davos" -- but the real name of the event is the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting.
8. PPS: Someone said (I forget who) that I can pull this off because I have the gravitas. That led me to call this WebGravitas in earlier versions of this piece. I decided that was too ballsy, so I went with WIM instead.
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11/21/2008; 3:53:50 PM Eastern.
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