I was in the middle of writing this very long comment on his post expanding on some of his points and realized Chris had actually inspired me to write a post two posts of my own on why you should come to BlogWorld. This one is for Content Creators. Another will follow for Brands.

Let’s start with why you shouldn’t. This line from his post resonated with me:

it’s great to get out and socialize. It’s less useful to get out and get blotto so that you can barely attend the next day

Everyone should come and have fun. That is definitely a part of it and fun often times involves an alcoholic beverage or two, but BlogWorld is not about getting trashed.

Dave and I and truly amazing team of people including @newmediapatti @debng @jenjenholder @nikki_blogworld @allison_boyer all of our track leaders, all of our speakers, the Hanley Wood team and everyone else involved in organizing BlogWorld work extremely hard on this event all year long to help you make the most out of your content.  Please don’t come to BlogWorld to party in Vegas. You can do that another weekend.

If you aren’t passionate about your content, if you don’t get geeked up every time you talk about it with other folks, if you aren’t at least intrigued by this unbelievable revolution in human communication known as New Media then you shouldn’t waste your money.

Our event is not cheap, that’s because our content is valuable and it’s worth every penny. We work very very hard at making it as good as we possibly can. We spend countless hours reviewing speaker proposals, getting suggestions from committees and the community at large to offer educational sessions that you can walk away from with real tangible value.  We spend countless more hours telling potential exhibitors and sponsors what not to do, and what you are really looking for and what can help you grow your business and fulfill your passion.

You should spend every waking moment of your time at BlogWorld absorbing every possible kernel you can. Attend every session you can, talking to every exhibitor who might be able to help you do a better job of creating, distributing and monetizing your content.

When we first had the idea to create BlogWorld & New Media Expo it was so I could meet the bloggers, the people I thought were famous and smart, and funny. I wanted to meet the friends I had met through my blog and theirs. I wanted to learn about the technology and how to make my blog look as professional as possible. I wanted to learn how to create audio and video content. I wanted to learn how to monetize my content. I hadn’t even heard of the term monetization at the time by the way. I wanted to learn what the smart people thought the future would bring. What was going to be the next big step in the new media revolution? (Twitter didn’t exist yet). If you are looking for those things, then you should come to BlogWorld.

Since our very first year we have been blessed to attract some of the smartest people you will ever meet. Not just the speakers. We will have over 300 speakers again this year but we turn down hundreds more brilliant people. Many of them attend anyway. And we bring people from every segment of the new media community. Milbloggers, Tech Podcasters, Politics, Travel, Food, RealEstate, Healthcare, Marketing, Business, Mommy bloggers, Daddy TV Comedy Podcasters, and content creators from genres you have never heard of.

That is why you need to network your butt off and build real valuable relationships with people you may never get the opportunity to meet again. Social Media is a powerful thing. It allows us to connect with people who live a world away from us but this is your one chance all year to meet them face to face.  Make it a point to talk to people outside your normal circle.  If you have a tech podcast, introduce yourself to a Milblogger. Everyone at BlogWorld is just like you; a blogger, a podcaster, an internet radio or TV broadcaster and they absolutely love what they do. They want to meet you as much as you want to meet them. Or they are a potential sponsor and business development opportunity. Literally every single person at BlogWorld can be an opportunity for you.

Several people have told us that BlogWorld has changed their life.  That is a pretty amazing statement and a very humbling thing to hear. People have sold their companies at BlogWorld. Eric Olsen will be talking about that this year on his panel.  Numerous people have landed very large sponsors, and customers or gleaned that one tip they needed to finally monetize their quality content. This motivates us to work harder and make every year better than the last. We believe we bear an awesome responsibility to every one of you to help foster our industry (New Media is an industry now) and help it grow beyond all of our wildest dreams.

So you need to make that choice. Do you want to walk away from BlogWorld saying that changed my life; (It has certainly changed mine) or do you want to go home regretting a missed opportunity?

Justin McHood

I know, I know — there are plenty of people speaking at BlogWorld about how to develop the best blog in the world. You know, one that is engaging, interactive, informative  and possibly even (do I dare say it?)  profitable.

But unless you are going to have a blog about bacon, starting a blog about something that could potentially lead to profits (either online or offline) just seems like a lot of work to me.

So if you are going to start a blog about mortgages (or anything else), get ready to turn it into a labor of love.

Spend your free time learning CSS, obsessing over what kinds of calls-to-action  you could possibly have to get more of your readers to join your subscription list and spend so much time thinking about your blog that you actually run the risk of becoming addicted to improving your blog.

Or…

Take a short cut.

Go find someone with a great blog who has an interest or profession that is similar to yours and ask them if you can be a contributor.

If you can put a 4 paragraph essay together that is at least half-way engaging and informative, chances are that the blog owner will at least give you a shot.

How do I know this?

Shhh. I am going to tell you a little secret.

I just agreed to a deal with Zillow.com to be their National Mortgage Commentator to just that — go and provide valuable, mortgage-related content to Real Estate sites.  Where the blog owners are most likely addicted to their blogs but they just can’t get enough (or any) mortgage content.

And the deal was only possible because someone here locally that happened to be into Phoenix Real Estate started letting me put my mortgage commentary on his blog.

And I get business from providing that content.

So when you come to BlogWorld in October and you see someone stand up to the microphone and ask the question: “how do I generate business from blogging?”

Consider the possibility of an answer to that question being:

Go ask someone if you can be their guest blogger.

Justin is a nationally published mortgage expert and is constantly looking for someone to listen to him talk about mortgages. If you are addicted to your Real Estate blog and can’t find a loan officer who can put together mortgage information that is intelligent, informative and engaging you are not alone. He claims many other Real Estate sites are reporting the same problem. The solution? Talk with Justin. It’s free.
Twitter: @jmchood
Website: justinmchood.com

Justin McHood

I know, I know — there are plenty of people speaking at BlogWorld about how to develop the best blog in the world. You know, one that is engaging, interactive, informative  and possibly even (do I dare say it?)  profitable.

But unless you are going to have a blog about bacon, starting a blog about something that could potentially lead to profits (either online or offline) just seems like a lot of work to me.

So if you are going to start a blog about mortgages (or anything else), get ready to turn it into a labor of love.

Spend your free time learning CSS, obsessing over what kinds of calls-to-action  you could possibly have to get more of your readers to join your subscription list and spend so much time thinking about your blog that you actually run the risk of becoming addicted to improving your blog.

Or…

Take a short cut.

Go find someone with a great blog who has an interest or profession that is similar to yours and ask them if you can be a contributor.

If you can put a 4 paragraph essay together that is at least half-way engaging and informative, chances are that the blog owner will at least give you a shot.

How do I know this?

Shhh. I am going to tell you a little secret.

I just agreed to a deal with Zillow.com to be their National Mortgage Commentator to just that — go and provide valuable, mortgage-related content to Real Estate sites.  Where the blog owners are most likely addicted to their blogs but they just can’t get enough (or any) mortgage content.

And the deal was only possible because someone here locally that happened to be into Phoenix Real Estate started letting me put my mortgage commentary on his blog.

And I get business from providing that content.

So when you come to BlogWorld in October and you see someone stand up to the microphone and ask the question: “how do I generate business from blogging?”

Consider the possibility of an answer to that question being:

Go ask someone if you can be their guest blogger.

Justin is a nationally published mortgage expert and is constantly looking for someone to listen to him talk about mortgages. If you are addicted to your Real Estate blog and can’t find a loan officer who can put together mortgage information that is intelligent, informative and engaging you are not alone. He claims many other Real Estate sites are reporting the same problem. The solution? Talk with Justin. It’s free.
Twitter: @jmchood
Website: justinmchood.com

Quentin Tarantino

I am seeing a huge number of searches now that we are in the new year all looking for Blog World 2010.  People are searching I suppose to find out the details since we are about 10 months away from the event.  The other issue is probably related to the the fact that 150,000 people were geeking out in Las Vegas with each other and are looking forward to SXSW and Blog World Expo. We have not yet worked out the venue details at this time, but the show itself is going to take place on October 14-16, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The first day of the show on October 14, 2010 is the Social Media Business Summit.   The final two days will be the trade show and convention featuring the exhibitors on the show floor.  Once the show venue is determined and those details are confirmed and completed we will be making that announcement.

Until then, feel free to get it on your calendar, and start making your initial plans. Once the other details are confirmed, we will be able to provide more precise information about hotels, parties and all the other fun that we have for three days in Vegas.  Three days in Vegas is either a great title for a Tarantino movie or perhaps my next blog post.

Now I have to run off and see if Mr. Tarantino is on Twitter.

Photo via FusedFilm.com

Quentin Tarantino

I am seeing a huge number of searches now that we are in the new year all looking for Blog World 2010.  People are searching I suppose to find out the details since we are about 10 months away from the event.  The other issue is probably related to the the fact that 150,000 people were geeking out in Las Vegas with each other and are looking forward to SXSW and Blog World Expo. We have not yet worked out the venue details at this time, but the show itself is going to take place on October 14-16, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The first day of the show on October 14, 2010 is the Social Media Business Summit.   The final two days will be the trade show and convention featuring the exhibitors on the show floor.  Once the show venue is determined and those details are confirmed and completed we will be making that announcement.

Until then, feel free to get it on your calendar, and start making your initial plans. Once the other details are confirmed, we will be able to provide more precise information about hotels, parties and all the other fun that we have for three days in Vegas.  Three days in Vegas is either a great title for a Tarantino movie or perhaps my next blog post.

Now I have to run off and see if Mr. Tarantino is on Twitter.

Photo via FusedFilm.com

With today’s “Call for Speakers” I am looking for creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to come forward and pitch me something relevant they would like to present that has been effected by the emerging real-time, NOW Internet.

My hope is to attract not only established celebrities, members of the media and thought leaders who are now using twitter, but those who have become a celebrity, and a brand in their own right, through the creative and disruptive application that twitter continues to be.

I’m looking for first-hand accounts of how twitter is being used and the impact it is happening in the industry sectors this event is focusing on. My goal is to bring together a curated group of characters to both lead and contribute to the discussions. And this event isn’t just about twitter. Open for discussion are all platforms and applications which are effecting and contributing to the real-time internet experience.

I believe that 140 of the right characters can impact 140,000 online participants at the event. I saw this happen in 2009 at the New York, LA, London and Tel Aviv events, plus multiple #140Conf MeetUps held across the U.S.

I believe that the knowledge shared and learned at this event will help bring more people into the twitter ecosystem. The take aways from this event will provide the attending delegates knowledge, perspectives and insights to the next wave of effects twitter will have on business.

So please, think about what YOU could contribute to the dialog, and who you may know who would be interested in being part of this event.

#140conf is the twitter hashtag for the conference. I would appreciate your help in once again spreading awareness of the April conference to the people who you are connected with on your social networks.

What I hope to bring together is a gathering of people with a variety of backgrounds and together explore the future of where things are going and how to best prepare the community at large to get there.

If you are interested in speaking at: 140 Characters Conference, and or would like to suggest a speaker, please tweet your nomination to #140conf. I will be checking the twitter stream on an almost real-time basis for nominations. You can also contact me by sending email to: jeff@pulver.com. The deadline for speaking proposals is: Friday, January 22nd but the first to be nominated will be the first considered.

I am also looking for sponsors and for exhibitors to be part of our twitter showcase. My goal is to have a special section of the event just for applications, and a maybe this time a Best Of #140conf Award for killer apps. For more information about sponsoring and exhibiting, please contact me by sending email to: jeff@pulver.com

A new approach to the pricing of the #140conf events was announced last week. Click here to learn more about this.

For more information about upcoming #140conf events, please visit: http://140conf.com.

I will reach out and see if Jeff will give us an interview here of the process and other questions that will give more details of the conference.  Jeff if you are listening or reading here, how about a sneak peek under the hood of the 140 conference?

With today’s “Call for Speakers” I am looking for creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to come forward and pitch me something relevant they would like to present that has been effected by the emerging real-time, NOW Internet.

My hope is to attract not only established celebrities, members of the media and thought leaders who are now using twitter, but those who have become a celebrity, and a brand in their own right, through the creative and disruptive application that twitter continues to be.

I’m looking for first-hand accounts of how twitter is being used and the impact it is happening in the industry sectors this event is focusing on. My goal is to bring together a curated group of characters to both lead and contribute to the discussions. And this event isn’t just about twitter. Open for discussion are all platforms and applications which are effecting and contributing to the real-time internet experience.

I believe that 140 of the right characters can impact 140,000 online participants at the event. I saw this happen in 2009 at the New York, LA, London and Tel Aviv events, plus multiple #140Conf MeetUps held across the U.S.

I believe that the knowledge shared and learned at this event will help bring more people into the twitter ecosystem. The take aways from this event will provide the attending delegates knowledge, perspectives and insights to the next wave of effects twitter will have on business.

So please, think about what YOU could contribute to the dialog, and who you may know who would be interested in being part of this event.

#140conf is the twitter hashtag for the conference. I would appreciate your help in once again spreading awareness of the April conference to the people who you are connected with on your social networks.

What I hope to bring together is a gathering of people with a variety of backgrounds and together explore the future of where things are going and how to best prepare the community at large to get there.

If you are interested in speaking at: 140 Characters Conference, and or would like to suggest a speaker, please tweet your nomination to #140conf. I will be checking the twitter stream on an almost real-time basis for nominations. You can also contact me by sending email to: jeff@pulver.com. The deadline for speaking proposals is: Friday, January 22nd but the first to be nominated will be the first considered.

I am also looking for sponsors and for exhibitors to be part of our twitter showcase. My goal is to have a special section of the event just for applications, and a maybe this time a Best Of #140conf Award for killer apps. For more information about sponsoring and exhibiting, please contact me by sending email to: jeff@pulver.com

A new approach to the pricing of the #140conf events was announced last week. Click here to learn more about this.

For more information about upcoming #140conf events, please visit: http://140conf.com.

I will reach out and see if Jeff will give us an interview here of the process and other questions that will give more details of the conference.  Jeff if you are listening or reading here, how about a sneak peek under the hood of the 140 conference?

Watch Rick Calvert – BlogWorld Expo 09 in Tech & Gaming  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

I am hoping to get some of these interviews doen myself this year as we travel around to the events and talk with organizers, attendees and speakers at shows we are attending. Thanks to the folks at TechZulu and Amanda!

Watch Rick Calvert – BlogWorld Expo 09 in Tech & Gaming  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

I am hoping to get some of these interviews doen myself this year as we travel around to the events and talk with organizers, attendees and speakers at shows we are attending. Thanks to the folks at TechZulu and Amanda!

Thanks for your opinion on this Chris. You can read Chris’ post and perhaps give him your thoughts as well. Should Twitter be banned at conferences on stage?