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Conferences, Kawasaki & Menschdom

So Northern Voice is officially 'in the can' as Darren puts it. Overall, I'd say it was a terrific 2-day conference. In some ways I actually enjoyed Moose Camp more than the actual Conference day, but I do agree with Darren in that some of the Moose Camp sessions were not ready for prime time, in other words, the quality varied substantially from session to session. But Moose Camp also had more to offer (more sessions so more hits and misses) and a more cozy feeling to it. I'm really happy that I was able to attend both days.

Now that Northern Voice is behind me, the conference legs are getting jumpy already. Which leads me to Guy Kawasaki. He's an early-stage venture capitalist, Forbes.com columnist and previously made his mark working with Apple developing the Macintosh computer (my kinda guy). His blog is very well read in the blogosphere. I first stumbled across Kawasaki via a post on 37signals back in October. I've been reading ever since. He recently posted about what it means to be a mensch and uses the class divisions on an airliner as an analogy.

I have a theory (as opposed to a dream) that Heaven is a three-class Boeing 777. You can sit in a narrow seat that doesn't recline and eat chicken-like substances next to a screaming baby in coach class. Or, you can sit in a slightly wider seat that reclines slightly more and eat a beef-like substance in business class.

But The Goal is to spend eternity in first class--specifically Singapore Airlines first class. Here your seat reclines to a completely flat position, and there's a power outlet, personal video player, wireless access to the Internet, and noise-cancelling headphones. There are also chefs, not microwave ovens.

You cannot buy your way into first class; nor can you use frequent flyer miles. The only way to earn an upgrade is to be a mensch...
[read more]

Guy then goes on and lists some qualifications for menschdom. A good thought, and good post from a good Guy.

Ok, now to bring this whole thing full circle. Last year, I really wanted to attend the Webvisions conference in Oregon. Things didn't work out and I missed it, and missed Flickr founder Stewart Butterfield's keynote. Well, this year, guess who is doing the keynote? If you said Guy Kawasaki, you're right! Webvisions is a conference dedicated to exploring the future of the web. Everything from design, user experience to business strategy. Some heavy hitters in all fields will be there and the conference has picked up steam and is now a full 2-day event. I'm hopeful that I'll make it there this year. At least that's the plan. We'll see how it goes.

Link: How to Be a Mensch

TAGS: conferences, oregon, webvisions
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