1. If someone tries to sell you a book or workshop entitled “The ## Truths About XYZ,” the truisms are probably well-known basics you could find in a freshman year textbook on the subject.
2. If someone offers you advice on anything, via book, speaking engagement, workshop, etc., they are doing so for one of two reasons. Either they are doing it to make money, or they are doing it for free in order to build up enough of a reputation so that they can charge the next sucker. The advice may actually be good. Or, not.
3. The main reason to go to an industry conference is to schmooze heavily, drink heavily, or both. Write a few articles (see #2, above), get a press pass, and go for free. You’ll mostly survive on little cubes of cheese, but sometimes the press receptions even have shrimp.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Phil // Jan 28, 2008 at 7:58 pm
And sometimes to get a measure of where you stand relative to your peers — in content-expertise, in image, and in the ability to knock down many drinks while eating little cubes of cheese.
2 cd // Jan 28, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Plus you occasionally get to do fun things like get high at the Richard Nixon library. Or play matchmaker while riding a virtual terradactyl. Or set off tiny bombs in the swimming pool at the set for “Dallas.”
But I suspect I had more fun than most conventioneers.
3 claire // Jan 30, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Oops, I meant pterodactyl.
4 Tiana // Feb 6, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I’m going to my first industry conference tomorrow. Thanks for the advise!
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