I get this question a lot from people. I guess I’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many bloggers that it’s hard to say. Would I like to meet Darren Rowse or Brian Clark? Sure. I’d love to look them both in the eye and thank them for everything they’ve taught me about blogging.
It’d be great to meet Seth Godin – oh, wait, I did meet him last summer when he was on his book tour for The Dip. Great ideas, nice presenter, but didn’t find him too engaging personally. Maybe it was the setting.
I’ve also had this odd fascination with Robert Scoble, though truthfully, I’m not sure why. Maybe he just gets it in a way I’m still trying too. Or the authors of the Cluetrain Manifesto. That book solidified how I look at business and it’d be great to bat it around with those guys a bit.
Gosh, really, there’s tons of bloggers I’d like to meet. After all, I’m blogging because I love the conversation. I love to learn. I love to share what I know. I just love meeting people. People from all walks-of-life. I want to hear their stories and learn from their experiences. So really, there’s tons of bloggers I’d like to meet…
Like you!
But since in our last one2one conversation Liz asked me who’s the person I’d like to meet, I’ll go ahead and choose someone.
But you know, the blogger I’d like to meet most at this moment is someone I should have met last May at SOBCon07. He was there. I saw him around. We just never got a chance to meet. Who is it? Muhammad Saleem. Why? Because this guy knows social media and I’d love to pick his brain.
I’d call him a social media expert. Just take a look at what he writes on his own blog, [muhammad.saleem] or at Pronet Advertising. Or check out his numerous guest posts on sites like The Blog Herald, Copyblogger, Search Engine Land. And don’t forget to search for the huge number of interviews he’s given around social media. He’s even a top Digger and one of Propeller’s “professional social bookmarkers.“
Really, just follow this guy’s trail and you’ll learn everything you’d ever want or need to know about social media, social networking, social sharing, social marketing, etc. Maybe I don’t need to sit down and pick his brain.
Nah, that wouldn’t be any fun now, would it? Not to mention, I’d miss learning who Muhammad, the person, is. And that just wouldn’t be any fun.
So is there a blogger would you most like to meet? Who? Why?
And for Liz, since this is a one2one conversation…
What’s one way you’d say social media has changed the way you do business?
Of course, when I’m asking Liz, I’m asking you too. So please, answer away. And Muhammad, if you happen to stop by, I pose the same question to you.
Right now, I’d really like to meet you, Dawud. Your posts have really inspired and motivated me over the past few months and meeting you would be an incredible opportunity.
I really need to get out to these conferences soon.
Tanner,
Thanks. And I’m happy that my posts have been motivational. Feel free to give me a call any time. You can get my contact info here.
i would like to meet Shoemoney. He is more than just a blogger and has quite a large following.
You. Duh.
It’s more difficult to say how social media has changed my business. I think it’s more changed the way I think about business, period, and networking and all that stuff I always hated.
Now it’s fun.
That’s what happens when you finally give a nerd the toy she didn’t even know she was pining for.
Dawud,
It’s great to see that you’re back with a vengeance — of the very best kind! Your charm and inspriation are all through this one. I just went to see if M. was on his IM client to make sure he knew he had a fan.
He’s speaking at SOBCon08 this year about that very subject. So, you’ll get your wish answered in every aspect. 🙂
I’d love to meet so many blogging friends and heroes.
Dawud, Liz Strauss, Leo Babauta, Ilker Yoldas, WebUrbanist, Jay White, Collis Ta’eed, Muhammad Saleem, Leon Ho, Wendy Piersall, there’s so many more. Sorry I couldn’t name just one!
Dawud, one of my biggest regrets from SOBCOn07 was not spending more time chatting with you. I think we’re kindred spirits in many ways, so I’m looking forward to some “face time” at SOBCon08. See ya there! All the best.
I got to meet one of the bloggers I’ve wanted to talk to this year at Pubcon. I was lucky enough to corner Jim Boykin for about ten minutes. Great guy and very gracious.
I haven’t been around enough to check out too many blogs. I enjoyed your post though it’s eye opening to hear you mention so many bloggers that are in many eyes famous.
I do not think that you will find it difficult to believe that the blogger that I would like to meet most is you.
If I am allowed a second choice, it would be Jonathan at plagiarismtoday.
Both of you talk about subjects that are near to my heart and your posts are what keeps me up to date.
I also like to read the comments that both of you generate.
I will like to meet OM MALIK and Hilton.
I’d also like to meet you!! When I met Wendy this Fall that fulfilled a big wish for me…loved taking her and Liz to dinner in SLC and just getting to know both of them in a REAL way. They exist, we’re not just fabricated personas on the web, you know? 🙂
Also, I have to say that Seth Godin IS engaging in every sense of the word. He was completely captivating in our DIP SLC book tour and loved how he engaged the audience and held us my the edge of our seats in the Q&A. I was part of the team that brought him to SLC and was disappointed we didn’t get one on one time with him because of his tight travel plans…I’d really like to take HIM to dinner.
I’d also like to get all of the 27 Startup Princess Fairy Godmothers who have guest blogged on our site together for a Royal Tea Party! I have only “met” a few of them so far!
Great post, Dawud!
Wendy,
Would you really give toes???
I hear you, on both fronts. I met so many great people at SOBCon last year. And would definitely love it if I could meet the people who regularly read my blog all together somewhere. Maybe someday that can become a reality??? What do you think with eMoms?
Kelly,
You’ve been on my list for a while, too. Boy, I make it sound like I’ve got some hidden list in my computer that has names of bloggers I’d like to meet. Not true, though it would be fun to create a list like that and see how many I could meet in a year.
As with Seth, I think highly of him. I love his work and his ideas and find him to be a pretty good presenter. When I met him, he was surrounded by tons of people and I only had a moment with him. I’ve met a lot of amazing people in my lifetime and I guess I just didn’t feel anything that really drew me to want to know him better. Though an evening and an coffee shop could be fun.
Valeria,
You are absolutely on my list. There’s that darn list again…
I’m looking into Blogger Social 08. I may have a scheduling conflict, but if not, I’ll try to come.
Hi Dawud,
I would love to meet you! You’re just brilliant when it comes to writing. Would take few lessons from you. 🙂
I’d love to meet many bloggers live and in person, and I’ve been blessed to meet most of the best in 2007!
2008 will be great for I plan to connect with even more. Seth Godin is one “celebrity” blogger I’d love to meet, and I get close by interviewing him in a podcast next week for posting the following week at Make It Great!
Chris Brogan is the “social media guru” I’d most like to meet (I met Mu a little last year at SOBCon, more time with him would certainly be fun).
Of all the other people I’d like to meet, I’d have to say my partner at Slacker Manager David Zinger. We write together each week, have talked on the phone many times, and have not yet connected in person. It’ll happen in 2008, one way or the other! I can feel it.
Great topic Dawud! Welcome back!
Terry,
Shoemoney would be a good one, too. He’s on my second tier right now. But probably because I’ve just not spent as much time on his stuff as I have others.
Mike,
That’s one thing I love about the blogosphere…it’s made so many people available to each other. For instance, I would have never met someone the quality of Liz Strauss without blogging. Now, she’s a friend and I’m humbled by it.
And the people’s she’s set out to meet…wow. What about you, anyone you’d like to meet?
Home Recording,
It’d be great to put a face with you as well. Perhaps at a conference this year?
arun,
Om…one I haven’t followed in a while. I wonder how I dropped his feed? Great reminder. Thanks.
The list of bloggers I would like to meet is long…I would forget some I am sure. You, Phil, Tim, Liz, Terry, Rosa, Robyn, and a host of Realtors make the short list. The idea of going to SOBCon is very exciting. I am planning on coming into town a day early and leaving a day late so I am sure not to feel rushed.
Social media moved me from thinking in the box, to thinking outside of the box, to tearing the box down and throwing it in the trash so the real ideas can start.
Most of the authors I have really wanted to meet (including you) I have already met this year. But I would give my right arm to get all of the eMoms at Home authors in one room sometime this year (I’ve only met two of them). And I’d give another limb to meet Char Polanosky, too, who has become a really close friend.
OK. Maybe not limbs. But I’d give toes. 😉
You’ve got to come to Blogger Social ’08 — there will be plenty of time to meet bloggers and the roster of participants is looking really good: folks coming from Australia, the UK, Belgium, Italy…
One blogger I will meet — Chris Brogan.
Thanks a lot for this post and I’m certainly honored by the mention. I would love to meet you and many others who have taken the time to comment on this post. Hope to meet you all soon enough at SOBCon 08.
Till we meet, all the best. Oh and in the meantime, if you have time, I would love to chat 🙂
Muhammad
Muhammad,
I think we’re seeing that the best part of social media is that it’s…well…social. How else would we have the chance to meet such interesting and engaging people?
And I’d certainly love to chat before we get to SOBCon. I’ll email you.
Phil,
If you’re interviewing Seth, you’ll certainly have more time with him than I had. Enjoy it.
Chris Brogan is on my radar as well. I’m a regular reader of his blog and it would be great to hang with him a bit. What’s cool is he’ll be at SOBCon08 in May. As I know you will too.
April,
You’re coming to SOBCon? That’s great. I can’t wait to meet you too.
As you can see from you comments, I’m realizing how long my list still is of bloggers I want to meet. I wrote above that of course I’d love to meet Brian Clark just to thank him for how much I’ve learned from his blog. Then I find out he’s speaking at SOBCon. Ask you shall receive…
There are soooo many people I would like to meet! I don’t think I could pick just one. I would love to meet you, and Liz, David Airey, John from iLT and my friend Vivien over at InspirationBit and Tara at Graphic Design Blog.
This is a list of people whose blogs I visit regularly, we exchange traffic frequently (well, I do with the last four) and I feel like I know them better than most other bloggers. Unfortunately the last four (and me!) are not really probloggers who would go to events like SOBCon 🙁 It’s just too expensive. Although I hope to one day make a decent income from blogging, I’m making barely pennies right now and spending a few thousand to go to conference isn’t within my budget. Maybe someday!!
Dawud, Geez – there are so many that I’d like to meet that the list would go on for days.
Okay here goes, in no particular order:
You, Seth, Cooper, Jim Walton, Andy Beard, and a dozen more.
Great post.
Which blogger? Come on, they are all the best 😀
Greetings. I can not tell which of blog it is similar to this. But I can tell precisely that yours better by way of a design
LaurenMarie,
I adore David Airey. I’ve never had the chance to meet him in person. But I have worked with him on a couple of projects and he’s great. Can’t wait to meet him someday.
And, of course, you’re certainly someone I’d love to have tea with. Boy, this feels like a lovefest.
Living Room,
Thank you so much. We’re just everyday people trying to live a rich, full and heart-centered life. And…raise our kids to be good human beings who are compassionate, kind and can think for themselves and who know how to navigate the sometimes murky waters of life. No small order in our modern world.
By the way, what’s your ‘real’ name? I’m having a hard time calling you Living Room all the time. You could, if you like, sign you posts John Smith: Living Room Furniture. That would give me – and others – more of a sense of you behind your comments.
Robert,
I know, it’s hard to choose. I say Muhammad above – and stick to my choice – but that leaves out dozens of others. Guess I need to make the conference rounds this year.
Morgan,
I’ve admired Andy from the beginning. He’d be great to meet. It’d be great to know when he’s coming to the States.
Planning to be at any conferences or meets this year? Be great to see you.
John,
Thanks. Funny thing…I’m likely updating the design very soon. We’ll see what you think.
No Dawood, as much as I would like to, it will be impossible. Due to completely unavoidable circumstances, I am tied to our home, being a care giver. My contact with the world other than my immediate neighborhood is through the Internet and telephones. Most of my friends and family visit now and then. I shall send a separate email to you anon.
Home Recording,
Sounds like it’d be beneficial to use a web cam to interact with some of the bloggers you know through video. Just a thought.
Sorry to hear your circumstances. It’d be great to meet you. Perhaps in some other way. At least you have the web to reach out and meet some folks.
I recently read about Christine from selfmadechick growing her blog readership by leaps and bounds in just 4 months. I am yet to read her blog myself, but I think I could learn a lot from her.
Hey nice question. In my case, I would like to meet two bloggers: Andy Beard and Darren Rowse.Each time, I read their posts, I learn something.My blogging career took a positive turn when I stumbled on their blogs sometime last year.
Dining Room,
You definitely could. Her stuff’s great.
Clement,
I couldn’t agree more. I think Darren is one of the most important ‘how-to’ bloggers out there.
I want to meet Shoemoney..^^…I think I would learn a lot from him. I used to listen to his radio show before over WebmasterRadio.com and it was really informative..^^
Joy,
We all could, I’m sure. What would you like to take most from him?
I would love to meet Seth Godin, I find his presentations outstanding. Shoemoney would be interesting too no doubt.
Bill,
His presentations are outstanding. And I love his ideas.
Dawud, I’m embarrassed to admit this but I have been blogging over a year and have yet to actually meet a single blogger – and Wendy lives not too far from me.
The list of bloggers that I would like to meet is quite long, including many of the well-known names on the comments above mine. However, I would really like to meet the people behind some of the smaller blogs that I follow and that take the time to visit my blogs.
I have a goal this year to attend at least one blogging related conference and meet some of the bloggers I have been reading for some time.
Wendy, I am sure there are other bloggers not too far from both of us as well. This might be a little ambitious but it might be fun to try and coordinate some sort of blogger meet-up.
Derek, I feel like a schmuck for not meeting you yet. 🙂 You’re literally less than a hour away – One of my goals this year is to ensure you and I meet, too!
Derek,
Don’t be embarrassed. I only went to one blogging conference last year – SOBCon. But I can tell you that I have plans of going to more this year. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to meet.
I have met Wendy and she’s lovely.
Even though I’m chipping in quite late with my confessions, but I think that sometimes it’s better to do something later than never, right? 😉
Of course, I’d love to meet with you, Dawud, and pick up some of your brains on being so charmingly successful, and I’d absolutely love to meet with the two of the friends Lauren has mentioned (John and David), plus of course, her.
Also it would be really great to meet all of the loyal readers of Inspiration Bit. I know that it’s more of a wishful thinking, since they are spread all over the world, and neither of us has millions to spend for traveling all across the globe and back, but it would’ve been nice anyway.
inspirationbit,
Thanks. It’d be great to meet you as well. Perhaps at one of the conferences this year? Moreover, welcome back…
seth godin. No doubt about it. He’s the man.
I believe everyone’s fascination with Scoble is somewhat odd even mine but he’s a great guy with innovative ideas, Building 43 seems like it’s taking off and will be a great resource for future developments on the web. I met him earlier this year when he stopped by our office and he’s as friendly and personable as they come, and yes he does come with a Mino.
Seth Godin coz he such a genuis and Diablo Cody,,,i was a fan of her blog way before Juno came out.
Social media has become increasingly needed in our world! And such conferences have become needed to just get to understand all the dynamics around. Take some of the giants in the dating and meeting industry: Facebook, Match.com, Meetic, GoodWizz. One thing in common in social media? No. One thing in common in communication? Yes: simplicity of their positioning. Facebook: structure of the web and social networking. Match and Meetic: easily find a partner. GoodWizz: really get to know the other person through games. This is the start of a successful social media campaign: positioning.
Robert Scoble hands down would be the one Blogger to rule them all and would LOVE to meet.