An American’s perspective on Likeminds & other UK conferences from Trey Pennington

Posted by Chris in Guest Blog Posts,Top Class Interviews,general,innovators and leaders on April 7, 2010

I’ve met up with Trey Pennington on a number of occasions and he’s someone I’m now lucky enough to call a friend.  Our last meeting was at the Likeminds conference in Exeter about 5 weeks ago. One of our conversations was based around the differences between the UK & the US in how they treat social media events .

Here follows his thoughts.

An American perspective on LikeMinds 2010

Chris Hall is a community-builder. I’m thankful he’s included me in his community and asked for my thoughts on the differences between conferences in the United States and the United Kingdom.

For me, the conferences in the United Kingdom are quite rewarding. Only in the UK do y’all appreciate my distinctive Southern accent. In the US, no one notices.

It seems British audiences are more vocal about expectations and the thwarting of them. Y’all are quick to voice critique. I had thought Americans were demanding and vocal—the criticism of Jeff Pulver’s 140 conferences in the US was downright brutal, for instance. (Then again, I’ve also thought American politicians wouldn’t last very long under the scrutiny of Questions to the Prime Minister.)

American criticism seems to focus more on things (the attacks on Pulver’s 140 focused on lack of Wi-Fi, being in a basement without access to cellular signal, and lack of power outlets, for instance). British critique seems to focus more on content and people.  Criticism of specific speakers or specific content doesn’t seem so pronounced in the US.

One might make a case that Americans think first of comfort and convenience while Brits consider content. I can’t say one way or the other. What I can say is, it seems the critique proffered by my British friends would serve to increase the speed of evolution for things that matter.

Scott Gould with Trey Pennington on the London Bridge after the 2009 LikeMinds Conference in Exeter.

I can also say the British have received and treated me exceptionally well. I’ve been amazed at the hospitality showered on me by Scott Gould, his extended family, and the whole community of friends associated with LikeMinds. Y’all have enriched my life considerably and I’m immensely thankful for you.

What are your thoughts on UK/US conferences and their approach?

Likeminds. Bringing people together? A resounding Yes!

Posted by Chris in Events,My Blog & Guest Posts,Social networks,comment,general,opinion on March 4, 2010

Like 350 others I was lucky enough to attend Likeminds 2010 in Exeter, Devon last Friday.

Much has been written about it the day; from the speakers, the attendees and the atmosphere, and most it has been very positive.

There has even been a minor backlash at all those who seemed to infiltrate the twitter stream with the ubiquitous #likeminds hashtag. But isn’t that the point. Did I miss something? Isn’t the very essence of why we all went was to meet ‘Likeminded’ people who all want to understand, learn and develop their communication skills – for themselves, for their clients, and for their organisations?

How many events have you been to where you’re still Read more…

Guest Post from @brandguardian (Jo Porritt): Attending LikeMinds – A Virtual Perspective

Posted by Chris in Guest Blog Posts,My Blog & Guest Posts,general,opinion on March 1, 2010

Here follows the first of my guest posts this week. The first is from Jo Porritt (@brandguardian) who gives her perspective on Likeminds as a virtual event. Later this week I’ll also be posting another guest article from Trey Pennington (@treypennington), looking at Trey’s views on the comparisons between social media in the UK & US [post-Likeminds].
Here’s Jo’s perspective.

So I was set. I had my ticket.

LikeMinds! A people-to-people gathering in Exeter, Devon – an event bringing together world class experts, innovators and serious social media players. The brainchild of Scott Gould and Drew Ellis, supported by a host of other inspirational speakers and panelists. Like Charlie Bucket, finding one of the coveted Golden Tickets to Mr Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, I was excited and thrilled at the prospect of meeting and mingling with some of the Read more…

Moo talk: The Chris Brogan Interview – where we talk fame, ROI & social media for B2B

Posted by Chris in Top Class Interviews,general on February 23, 2010

For those of you who don’t know, Chris Brogan is one of the world’s leading figures in social media. In his own words he’s ‘an eleven year veteran of using social media and both web and mobile technologies to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals.’

Chris speaks, blogs, writes articles, and makes media of all kinds at [chrisbrogan.com], a blog in the top 5 of the Advertising Age Power150, and in the top 100 on Technorati. He is co-author of the New York Times bestselling book ‘Trust Agents’ , and the recently released Social Media 101.

Here’s our interview in full.

1. At what point did you decide the career path you’ve chosen and what drew you to it?
I’ve been on this current run for a few years. I started by leaving my role as an applications engineer in a wireless company to run Jeff Pulver’s Video on the Net conference, and from there, I took on several roles, eventually leading to starting my own company. But what I’ve done for decades is help people understand complex things in a simple way. That’s what I’ve done forever and what I do now. Essentially.

2. What excites you most about the growth of social media?
I love that we can connect with people and Read more…