You already know my experiences at SOBCon08 – at least those I could get down in a reasonable amount of time.

But aren’t you curious what others have been saying about it?

Well, I’ve done my best to compile all the posts I could find about the event. While extensive, this is likely not a complete listing. So if you have a post you’d like to add, please do so in the comment box and I’ll add it to the post below.

Did I read them all…no. But I did read most of them and commented on those I had something to add too. What always intrigues me most is that people often report more about their time getting to know someone then then they do the event content. Is there a little business secret tied up there? What do you think?

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Most of us at SOBCon08 are bloggers, right? So you had to know that we blogged the event. Now I say we collectively as I was too busy jotting notes to live blog and too engrossed in conversation to blog at the event.

So what about the evenings…well, if I was getting to bed before 2am, perhaps. But I wasn’t.

Yet plenty of people either wrote reports from SOBCon08 or were live blogging as it happened. We even had a Twitter feed going at one point. The conversation behind the event didn’t stop – even during it.

So if you missed something or lost your notes at least you can find what you need from the vast resources below.

And if you couldn’t make it to SOBCon08 this year, you’ll find a great list of content that was written during the event. Having gone through all of these posts, photos and videos, there’s enough content here to make it feel like you were there – just without the smiles, hugs and handshakes.

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SOBCon08 – Biz School for Bloggers… A report, part 2

Amazing that it took a whole blog post to cover the first day of SOBCon08, but it did. Friday was great. The boat ride stellar. And the conversation even better.

Seeing Lorelle first thing Saturday morning started the day off right. Got a chance to speak with Easton Ellsworth a bit, catching up on family and the like. Truth is I talk to Easton almost weekly. I did get to have breakfast with David Dalka and Phil Gerbyshak. We mostly talked shop – not blogging shop, but business shop – niche marketing and expert positioning. In other words, what problems do you solve for whom.

Business School was the theme of SOBCon08. The idea was born from watching lots of bloggers getting traffic and tons of comments, but making no money. This year’s SOBCon was going to bring business people and bloggers together so that business owners could learn about communities and using social media while bloggers could learn solid business practices.

Anita Bruzzese of 45Things kicked off the morning. She gave a great talk about managing your online reputation. Her advice: Remember “whatever you write has your name on it and you must be willing to stand behind it.” Her talk sparked a great conversation afterward that I was really getting in to. If only more time.

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SOBCon08 – Biz School for Bloggers… A report, part 1

Liz and Terry sure nailed it this year. Not only in concept but in execution. Their goal – create an event where business owners and bloggers come together to learn from each other – both about social media and about running a business. In my opinion, much needed and only scraping the surface of what’s needed around social media. The weekend was great…here’s my experience.

The flight to Chicago on Friday was quick and uneventful. We landed just before a storm rolled in that delayed a number of SOBCon-ers, including Chris Cree and Gorgeous (his name for his wife). I jump on the orange line out of Midway which deposits me, 40 minutes later, a block and a half from my hotel – in a downpour. Cab it or walk…I chose to walk. And when I stepped into Hotel 71 I was drenched.

I get to my room, dry off, unpack and out comes the laptop. I was thinking of a short nap before the afternoon’s festivities, but turns out Chris Garrett was looking for a lunch date. Sonia Simone and I join Chris for a stroll down Michigan Ave, a nice chat and a great lunch lunch at Carmine’s. Thank God the weather cleared up.

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Are you coming to SOBCon08?

I’ve been set on coming ever since I left Chicago last May. The event in 2007 was great. Lots of great people. Lots of great information. And, of course, lots of of great conversation. But what would I expect from an event that was partially the brainchild of Liz Strauss, Miss Conversation herself (now, that’s my opinion and she would probably deny it even though it’s the truth)?

That’s why I was so excited last fall when Liz and Terry Starbucker started planning for SOBCon08. This year’s theme – Biz School for Blogging. Notice the title closely. It’s not blogging for businesses. Rather, it’s business school for blogging. In other words, bringing sound business principles into the blogosphere.

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Why? Why not?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot since David Armano talked about it at SOBCon last year. His basic point was that “blogging is a commodity. Anyone can do it. We are human beings with passions and interests that come out in our blogs—not the other way around. Stop calling yourself a blogger. You are a… (designer, businessperson, marketer, artist, baker, mother, grandfather, etc). Calling ourselves bloggers takes away from what makes us unique.”

I have to say that I agree. I think the term blogger is overused and often misunderstood. When I talk with businesses about blogging, they often, even after all this time, think of journaling. They haven’t fully appreciated the breadth of what the term blogger can mean.

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If you use WordPress you likely know who Lorelle VanFossen is. If you don’t know who she is yet, don’t worry…you will soon.

Lorelle VanFossen, of course, writes Lorelle on WordPress (RSS) – one of the best resources for anything relating to WordPress. Need a plugin? Lorelle’s likely written about it. Need to solve a problem? Lorelle may have covered it. Want the latest news? Lorelle’s the one. She even sums it all up with her WordPress Wednesday column on Blog Hearld (RSS).

Lorelle’s done it all. Including make every blogging mistake possible. At least that’s what she said in her interview with Daniel Scocco from Daily Blog Tips (RSS).

Daniel: What is the biggest blogging mistake you did?

Lorelle: Oh, honey, I’ve done them all. I’ve been doing this so long, I’ve done all the big mistakes. When I read through blog posts listing their blogging mistakes, I think, “Yep, did that one in 2001. Oh, that one, I did it big in 1998. Been there, done that in 2004. Won’t repeat that mistake of 1997.”

Is there just one big mistake? Nope. There are only big lessons that come from every mistake along the blogging path. I tend to focus on the lessons learned and not the screw-ups.

Lessons…that’s the perspective I love about Lorelle. Having spent some time with her at SOBCon07 back in May, it was easy to fall in love with her. She’s real, she’s honest and she doesn’t judge. And just like me, she has her opinions…

Daniel: How long should a blogger wait to monetize the blog?

Lorelle: I do not think bloggers should monetize their blogs. I think that people who want to get into the business of blogging must make a business plan on how they will use blogging for their business or as their business, thus creating a plan for monetizing their blogs.

But general bloggers? Why should your hobby make money? If you want to work your way towards professional blogging, then blog for a year or two to get a feel for blogging and make your business plan. Then move towards being a professional blogger.

I couldn’t agree more. Too many bloggers are watching what the business bloggers are doing and think about the “easy money” they could be making off their blogs. But it’s not easy money. It’s hard work.

But so is blogging in general. Some days it’s easy, some it’s hard. Everyday it’s effort. That’s why many blogs aren’t successful.
And that’s what I love about Lorelle, she tells it like it is. She doesn’t sugar coat it. She’s honest about the ups and downs. That why I recommend that everyone read her new book, Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging.

I’ve read it three times cover to cover and it’s full of great advice. It’s literally the first blogging book I’ve read that’s really about blogging. Most blog books spend way too much time covering blog platforms or why to blog. Authors sometimes spend 1/2 to 3/4 of a book getting to the meat.

Blogging Tips is different in that Lorelle assumes you’ll get that type of information elsewhere. Instead, she gets right into meat. I highly recommend her book (and I’m not getting an affiliate kickback to say that).

I also really enjoyed Adii’s interview with Lorelle where they talk a bit more WordPress.

You know, it’s also kind of challenging to find photos of Lorelle. I snagged one with her and David Dalka (he’s on the right, I’m on the left and Lorelle is between us) when we were at SOBCon.

I’ve always loved the feeling that a good string of words can incite. Whether a quote from a speech, a line in a book or a poem, I can easily be moved into a deeply contemplative space.

So it’s no surprise that I love song lyrics. Don’t get my wrong, I love the music behind the lyrics. But if I want music I’ll listen to classical or jazz – gotta love Monk on the ivories; Bird, Trane, Hawk or Sonny blowin’ sax or Charlie Mingus workin’ the bass. Then there’s Miles. But we’re not talkin’ jazz right now, we’re talking lyrics (okay, I know Bessie, Ella and Billie were amazing).

So Phil, there’s a taste of some of the music that makes my heart sing. But not always. I love jazz, but only when it feels right. For me to listen to Monk or Miles, I’ve gotta be with it. I’ve gotta feel it inside as though each note is waking up parts of my soul. That’s just the way jazz is for me.

But I’m not always in that place. Sometimes it’s the words in a song I want to inspire me. And that’s where it all gets tricky for me to express.

As my dear friend Adam Kayce knows, I’ve got tons of song lyrics packed away in my brain. And sometimes they just come flying out when he least expects them.

It’s actually difficult for me to pick one, or even five, songs that make my heart sing. Hilda asked for only one song to make thing easy on Joanna, Phil, Judith, Terry, Kirsten, Karen, Claire and the others she tagged. But I’m with Judith, I’m not finding this easy at all.

Why? Well, like Becca and Animaitaliana, there’s just so many options it’s hard to narrow it down. And because the music that makes my heart sing changes greatly with the mood I’m in. Truthfully, I love everything from the Blues to John Denver; Motown to Toad the Wet Sprocket; early 80′s rap to Prince, R&B and funk to Elton John and James Taylor. What I mostly don’t enjoy is Country, modern pop, and hip-hop.

In tagging me Adam mentioned he’s got 1800 plus songs in his iTunes. Well my iPod is carrying around over 5000 songs right now and iTunes tells me that’s about 30 days worth of music. The newest music I’m carrying is from Christine Kane – who I met, and heard, for the first time live at SOBCon07. She’s truly lovely – as a person, a songwriter and a performer. And I really enjoy her storytelling.

Okay, okay…maybe I am stalling. So I’ll share with you what I was listening to yesterday as I worked.

There’s no secret that I deeply love my wife and that I’m constantly striving to be a better husband, a better man, for her. One artist that inspires me from time to time is Brian McKnight. His lyrics, his voice, his expression all speak to my heart. Since I rarely listen to the radio anymore, I don’t know which of is songs are popular. But one of my many favorites is Never Felt This Way:

There will never come a day
you’ll ever hear me say
that I want and need to be without you.
I want to give my all.

Baby, just hold me.
Simply control me.
‘Cuz your arms, they keep away the lonelies.

(chorus)
When I look into your eyes
then I relize
that all I need is you in my life.
All I need is you in my life.
‘Cuz I’ve never felt this way about lovin’.
Never felt so good.
Never felt this way about lovin’
It feels so good.

How it takes my breath,
starts a pounding in my chest,
makes me weak, when I think about you.
Makes me wanna give my all,
Life wouldn’t mean a thing.
Not a happy song to sing,
just emptiness if I had to live without you.

(repeat chorus)

‘Cuz I’ve never felt this way about lovin’, darlin’
Never felt so good.
Never felt this way about lovin’
It feels so good. woo!

But it’s not just the lyrics. Listen to the delivery, the timing, the way he expresses the lyrics…

[audio:http://dmiracle.com/wp-content/audio/Never-Felt-This-Way.mp3]

Then there’s Discovery:

So now that I have seen
An angel spread it’s wings
Go on, lay me down
I can die now
Every since you came around
There’s a new love found

[audio:http://dmiracle.com/wp-content/audio/Discovery.mp3]

And since I’m certainly not perfect, I love So Sorry:

For all the wasted time that we cannot replace.
For everytime that a discussion turned into an argument, we’d fight.
Hey, how I wish that I could have it back tonight.

I’m so sorry for anything I might have done.
And I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt the only one,
And I’m sorry, the best laid plans sometimes fall through,
For anything that I might’ve done, I apologize to you.

[audio:http://dmiracle.com/wp-content/audio/So-Sorry.mp3]

So there you get a taste of my sentimental, openly emotional and soft side. Thanks for the space to share.

Now, I have to tag a few people I’d love to hear from – David Airey, Liz Strauss, Christine Kane (what one song truly inspires you?), Chris Cree (and Gorgeous too), Wendy, David, Char, Gayla, Carma, Randa, Lauren, Edward, Ben, Mark, Lorelle, and Scoble (Robert, this seems right up your alley).

And you…what song(s) inspire you? Lift your spirits? Express how you feel? Or just get the blood flowing? I’d really love to know…

There I was sitting at SOBCon07 over the weekend enjoying the speakers and the conversations they started. Soaking in all kinds of great ideas for taking my blog the conversation (and my business) to the next level.

Then, out of nowhere he said it…what’s been on my mind since I began writing publicly. The meaning in the question I asked weeks back.
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I had an amazing weekend at SOBCon07 in Chicago over the weekend. My write up will come next. But first, I want to send out some link love and a whole bunch of huge, bear hugs to every person who was there. Each of you inspired me to be a better blogger personal publisher, and a better person. I’m truly in awe of each of you. Thank you for your sharing, your honesty, your beauty and our new friendship…

To SOBCon07 Chicago Attendees: Sandra Renshaw Brad Shorr Timothy Johnson Tammy Lenski Muhammad Saleem Lorelle VanFossen David Dalka – Mobile Search Marketing Todd And John Yedinak Joe Hauckes Tim Draayer Jeremy Geelan Carolyn Manning Sheila Scarborough Steve Farber Dawud Miracle Doug Mitchell Jeff O’Hara Dave Schoof Jamy Shiels Adam Steen Hannah Steen Chris Thilk Barry Zweibel Eric Bingen Ellen Moore Cord Silverstein Jean-Patrick Smith James Walton Sharan Tash Vernon Lun Tony Lee Scott Desgrosseilliers Mark Murrell Kammie Kobyleski Easton Ellsworth Mark Goodyear Ann Michael Kent Blumberg Ashley Cecil Robert Hruzek Sabu N G Lisa Gates Franke James Chris Brown Troy Worman Karen Putz Jesse Petersen Terry Mapes Andy Brudtkuhl Lucia Mancuso Peter Flaschner Derrick Sorles Mike Rohde Thomas Clifford Rajesh Srivastava Claire Celsi Jason Alba Cristiana Passinato Sean R. Alex Shalman Cristiana Passinato Brad Spirrison Ari Garber Dr. Rob Wolcott Cheryll Cruz Sharon Scherer Jonathan Phillips Jason Wade Jill Pullen Doug Bulleit Wendy Kinney Chelsea Vincent Ayush Agarwal Paul Mangalik Premchand Kallan Xochi Kaplan Michael Snell Ella Wilson Adam Kayce

And to the speakers, thank you for making this the most engaging experience I’ve ever had at a conference…

SOBCon07 Chicago Speakers: Andy Sernovitz Phil Gerbyshak Liz Strauss David Armano Mike Sansone Drew McLellan Mike Wagner Terry Starbucker Rodney Rumford Ben Yoskovitz Chris Cree Robyn Tippins Diego Orjuela Vernon Lun Wendy Piersall

I can’t wait to see each of you some time soon…