SOBCon

One of the more fascinating discussions I had during SOBCon08 was with Chris Garrett on our way back to the airport (it’s amazing the conversations you can strike up when you are stuck in Chicago traffic!).

We were talking about favorite foods and the discussion led to Indian cuisine, and our favorite types of Indian food. One of those was a dish called Chicken Tikka Masala. It consists of chicken, cooked in a tomato and yogurt based curry. Very good stuff.

Chris then relayed the “legend” of of how this dish came about. It didn’t originate in India, the legend says -it was in Glasgow, in the late 1960s.

Apparently a restaurant patron thought the Chicken Tikka was too dry and asked for more “gravy” (only Chris could do this description justice, so you should ask him to tell this story sometime!). The chef, duly challenged, came up with the Masala we know and love today - in fact, in 2001 it was declared Britian’s “true national dish”.

Why do I bring up this story today? No, I’m not veering this blog into a food and cooking direction (it’s hard for me to boil water so that’s a really bad direction for me).

I recount this conversation because I believe it illustrates so well the power of individual initiative. How a seemingly insignificant idea or request could turn into something with such a profound impact is a great lesson for us all.

The lesson: We CAN make a difference, not only for ourselves, our families, our fellow business associates, or fellow bloggers, but for the world too !

This reminds me of what my friend Lisa Haneberg talks about in her book, “2 Weeks to a Breakthrough” . She writes about “the butterfly effect” - how a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can trigger a tornado in Texas. One little “flap” can cause a chain reaction. She encourages us to “flap” our wings and make things happen - the more “flaps” the better.

That man in the restaurant in Glasgow flapped his wings, by saying he wanted gravy. The chef flapped his when he whipped up the Masala. Then one of the other patrons tried it, and spread the word. Flap, flap, flap…….

We all have that power, the power to make huge changes happen - the question is, can we use it? WILL we use it? Are we brave enough to think that BIG? Can we really change the world?

The key is to not let our ideas, dreams and desires be held captive by fear, or be discouraged by outside influences.

If you want gravy, you gotta ask for it!

Put some gravy in your life - and believe in the power of you!

It happened on the plane over to Chicago.

The excitement, the anticipation, and the nervousness over what was about to come.

SOBCon08. Showtime!

Like last year, I had fears that people wouldn’t come, the facility would be bad, the food would stink, and I would make a fool of myself at the podium.

Liz Strauss had put SO much work into this (if you all only knew) - I couldn’t let her down. She has always been the kind of partner you just never wanted to let down, because of what she gave - and gave, and gave.

The good news was, I knew how to quell those bad thoughts. Yep, the trusty iPod. iPod always knows what is good for me - it has a 6th sense (thank you Steve Jobs).

I clamped on my headphones, put iPod on shuffle, and let ‘er rip.

It did not disappoint me. Right out of the box it played “You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals, which just happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time.

Why? Because of a beat and melody you just can’t shake, and lyrics that hit me in the heart, right from the very first line:

“Wake up kids. We’ve got the dreamers disease”

I love that line. It’s a call to action. It was calling me to action. Forget about all that fear stuff - we are going to make everyone’s SOBCon08 dream come true!

My feelings immediately became lighter - now buoyant in the anticipation of what was to come. Then I heard the chorus:

But when the night is falling
And you cannot find the light
If you feel your dream is dying
Hold tight
You’ve got the music in you
Don’t let go
You’ve got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don’t give up
You’ve got a reason to live
Can’t forget you only get what you give

My eyes were welling up with tears - happy ones. I was about to spend three days with people like me, people with the same “dreamers disease” - and a bunch of givers to boot.

Then I realized that if Liz and I gave the best conference we could put on, what we’d get would be incalculable and indescribable.

I came to Chicago on a wonderful high, spurred on by a musical marker.

And then the smiling, and warmth, and giving, and learning began, from the very minute I picked up Chris Garrett from the airport on Thursday.

It went on for 72 hours straight - as many

hugs, smiles, photos

thank yous, laughs, Twitters,

“ah-has“, “wows“,

“you rocks!”, “I didn’t know thats“,

“why is there so many men with facial hairs“,

debates about the best music decade (I voted the 70’s),

interesting attempts at karaoke by the MC (”Sexy Back”, of all things) and by Starbucker and Brogan on the streets of Chicago (a rockin’ “Bohemian Rhapsody”),

“the food is pretty darn goods“,

“the speakers were awesomes“,

“I love yous”

and finally, tears (and hugs again)

as one could ever experience in that short of a time.

We even created (or should I say Melissa created and we endorsed) a new word - “vulnerablogity”

We put ourselves way, way out there - we gave ourselves up to the moments. Which was because, as Chris Cree said on Sunday, “we all have value - each of us has something to offer”.

And there were thousands of things offered, all moments to savor. I can’t even begin to list all of them.

By Sunday morning, the word “trust” was mentioned again and again - our hearts were clearly showing. There was no “strutting” going on (thanks for that word Tammy).

We didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want it to end. But it had to.

There was really no doubt about the words I wanted to use to close the conference (before Liz brought the house down). I had to bring this full circle.

I read the chorus of “You Get What You Give”.

Yes, we had the Dreamers Disease. We got what we gave, alright - and then some.

It all tells me, and all of us, that we must continue to dream, and dream big, and not let them go. Be fearless, and open, and giving - all the time. Nothing is beyond our grasp. After all, who would have thought a small little Open Comment idea would turn into this?

And oh yea, I should keep blogging too.

To those who attended, or twitted, or watched the video feed, or submitted slides, or gave us positive vibes because they couldn’t go, I sincerely thank you all. You have enriched my life in ways I never thought possible.

Here’s the list of attendees

• Cliff Atkinson
• Shashi Bellamkonda
• JJ Betts
• Chris Brown
• Chris Brogan
• Anita Bruzzese
• Dave Bullock
• Mark Carter
• Brian Clark
• Tom Clifford
• Clay Collins
• Valerie Combs
• Chris Cree
• Lisa Cree
• Thomas Croghan
• Donna Cutting
• David Dalka
• Kevin Dixie
• Tim Draayer
• Andrew Dubber
• Easton Ellsworth
• Kevin Ferrasci O’Malley
• Chantelle Flannery
• Sarah Filipiak
• Mary-Lynn Foster
• Annie Galvin Teich
• Brian Gardner
• Chris Garrett
• Jon Gatrell
• Phil Gerbyshak
• Jared Goralnick
• Karen Hanrahan
• Joseph Hauckes
• Vicky Hennegan
• Scot Herrick
• John Hong
• Stephen Hopson
• Robert Hruzek
• Timothy Johnson
• Sara
• Pete Jones
• Todd Jordan
• Bob Kakoliris
• Christine Kane
• Adam Kayce
• Kristen King
• Scott Kolbe
• Jen Knoedl
• Thomas Knoll
• Stephen Koernig
• Bryan Kress
• George Krueger
• Amy L
• Tammy Lenski
• James G. Lindberg
• Eli Litscher
• Rick Mahn
• Sim Margolis
• Michael Martine
• Becky McCray
• Maria Meadows
• Cory Miller
• Ann Michael
• Dawud Miracle
• Debra Moorhead
• Matthew Murphy
• Paul O’Flaherty
• Tim Padar
• Jesse Petersen
• Melissa Pierce
• Wendy Piersall
• Sandra Ponce de Leon
• J. Erik Potter
• Karen Putz
• Susan R Quandt
• Levy Rivers
• Barbara Rozgonyi
• Jeff Sable
• Sheila Scarborough
• Mary Schmidt
• Derek Semmler
• Maria Sharon
• David Sherbow
• Steve Sherlock
• Brad Shorr
• Louise Silberman
• Sonia Simone-Rossney
• Julien Smith
• Stephen Smith
• Michael Snell
• Derrick Sorles
• Terry Starbucker
• Liz Strauss
• Jon Swanson
• Ruth M Sylte
• Michelle Vandepas
• Lorelle VanFossen
• Colleen Wainwright
• Denise Wakeman
• James D. Walton
• Randy Windsor
• Joanna Young

Incredible. Now it’s time to plan SOBCon09. You’re coming, aren’t you?

And here are all my pictures on Flickr.

I have to tell you, I’m not a nautical person. I can’t even swim (that’s a long story). It’s quite the rare occasion that I set foot on a boat.

It has to be a pretty special deal to entice me to hit the high seas - for example, last weekend, I mustered up the courage to go on the NYC boat tour with my fellow Blogger Social attendees.

Thankfully, I not only survived that experience, but really enjoyed it, thanks to the great conversations I had with many wonderful bloggers (you kind of forget you are on a boat when you are involved in fascinating discussions).

When my SOBCon partner Liz Strauss suggested we do a boat tour for Open Comment Night at SOBCon08 (May 2-4 in Chicago), my normal reluctance to do such a thing had been tamped down considerably by my NYC experience, since I knew that being on a boat with 100 bloggers was a really, really good thing.

Plus, having the fabulous Christine Kane on the boat with her guitar isn’t too shabby either.

So join us on May 2 on what I’m calling the “Blogger Love Boat” - heck, we may even break out that theme song…

“Blogging Love, exciting and new,
Come aboard.
We’re expecting you.
Love, life’s sweetest reward.
Let it flow,
it floats back to you.”

That is, if I can convince Christine to learn it - what do you think Christine??

Now you really can’t miss this now, can you? This is the best $450 value on the Blogging planet! Friday fun, Saturday learning, and a Sunday send off with your Blogging Business Plan!

If you haven’t already gone to the SOBCon site and registered, do it now.

And check out Starbucker on a boat (maybe singing the Love Boat theme)!

Happy Sunday, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day (one day early)!

Today’s topic is SOBCon08 - for my newer readers, this is a fantastic conference that will be held at the Summit Executive Center in downtown Chicago from May 2-4. Liz Strauss and I are the founders and organizers of the event.

It’s actually the second year for SOBCon - last year we had an awesome weekend in Chicago with about 110 of our closest blogging friends, and it was one of the most satisfying and meaningful experiences of my life. I also invented (sort of) a new dance there - the “Bloggy Dance“.

It’s a labor of love to do it again with Liz, and I’m learning a lot about this type of business. It’s hard work, however. Trying to balance “the experience” with costs has been difficult and time consuming, because while we’re really not in this to make a big profit (truth be told, it’s costing us $300 per person, and we’re charging $350 for returning attendees and $450 for new attendees), it’s important that we provide real value for the conference dollar.

This year’s program really does just that. We’ve found an excellent facility in the Summit Executive Center , cut a couple of really reasonable hotel deals with Hotel 71 and Club Quarters (both a short walking distance away), and have a roster of speakers that know the business of blogging and can help you build your own business model for blogging success.

Heck, Liz can explain this part much better than I, and she does just that on a video taken recently at SxSW by Jason Falls, Social Media Explorer (posted at the SOBCon site - check it out).

But there’s even more to SOBCon which will make it so unique and different - the open hearted and welcoming spirit of friendship and generosity. I have been to my share of conferences, and never have I felt so “enveloped” in that spirit. It really makes you yearn for more.

Returning attendee Tammy Lenski captured this best when she said about SOBCon07:

“Generosity of spirit is viral. Picture 110 people in a hotel ballroom, all generously sharing business ideas and secrets, building on each other’s creativity, and offering their experience as a gift. I can’t remember the last time I was in a space where that kind of spirit abounded on such a large scale. Conflict tempts us to hold our cards close to our vest, to be cautious, to be stingy with our warmth and spirit. That stinginess begets more of the same. Generosity of spirit is so much easier…all we have to do is make the choice to do it. Thank you, my fellow SOBcon-ers.”

A conference that really MATTERS? A get-together that fills your brain AND lifts your spirit? That’s SOBCon, and you really can’t miss it if those dates are open for you. Go register NOW. Even if you can’t make it, and you are one of Liz’s long roster of “SOB’s” (or just an admirer), stay tuned for an opportunity to participate remotely (now THAT sounds cool, doesn’t it?) or perhaps contribute a small sponsorship amount to defray some expenses.

Of course, blogging about it would be appreciated too!

Share in the spirit of SOBCon, either by attending or supporting the cause in some other way.

You’ll be glad you did.

Want to get a free registration to SOBCon08, plus two night’s hotel thrown in for good measure?

The SOBCon founders and the good folks at Plante Moran Financial Advisors (www.pmfa.com) are co-sponsoring a SOBCon Marketing Contest, where the blogger who can refer the most traffic to the SOBCon website (www.sobevent.com) between February 11 and March 15 will win:

• A free registration to SOBCon08 in Chicago, from May 2-4 ($450 value)
  
• Two nights hotel accommodations ($300 value)
  
• Podium recognition by the SOBCon MC, Terry Starbucker (promotional value for your blog and business – priceless)

Let’s get to the rules, but first a quick word about our co-sponsor, Plante Moran Financial Advisors (www.pmfa.com). They’re a group of financial professionals that are all about “you”, just as it should be. In their own words, “In saying “you” we encompass every aspect of you, such as your family, business, and personal interests into your investment strategy – today and into the future. You are our first priority and that is why our approach to your wealth management is as unique as you.”

OK, here are the rules:

1. To be eligible you must register your referring site, via e-mail to terrystarbucker(at)gmail(dotcom). You can do this anytime before or during the contest period, but the sooner you’re “in” the better.
2. We will count the referrals to SOBCon08 (defined as a “hit” to the site that comes from a link on your site) beginning on February 11, and running through March 15.
3. The referrals must be from a sufficient variety of network and geographical locations (as determined by Google Analytics), as determined by the SOBCon contest committee.
4. Speakers at the conference are not eligible, as well as the founders.
5. If you’ve already registered, you can certainly enter, and see if you can win your money back (and then some!)

So, do you think you have the promotional moxie to promote SOBCon and get your readers to check out our site, and find out how irresistible and compelling this year’s conference is going to be? Are you looking for a way to get to SOBCon but all you have is a blog, and not the cash?

Than sign up and start promoting SOBCon!!

Good luck and have fun.