A Non-Geek Lost at a Geek Conference

OK, I’m the other one in the business, the one that doesn’t speak, blog … in fact I don’t do much when it comes to the NSM Blog except listen to Paul complain, grumble and moan about me not doing anything with the NSM Blog. Anywhoo … moving along, in December 2008 my business partner Paul (@NorthSouthMedia) suggested that we attend #thinkvisability at Leeds, well not being into SEO and interwebby things I thought it’s not really for me. After a few months of persuasion (see bribing … there will be beer) I decided to
“tag” along.

Friday the 6 March came very quickly and Paul was on his way to pick me up in sunny Doncaster, we were heading to Leeds and to our hotel, well after circling the ring road 3 times and turning up a one way street (the wrong way) sorry mate as I was driving Paul’s car we arrived. Paul mentioned that we were to meet up for a “few” drinks at the Hogs-Head pub, so off we went. As we arrived it has to be said I was like a school kid waiting to see the headmaster (I didn’t want to be there).

“Up the stairs”, someone at the bar said, so with pint in hand we ascended the stairs, First to greet us (Paul) was someone called Tim Nash, I stood back as they went into “geek mode”, another pint slipped down very nice. Tim Nash then told us how he was going to demonstrate about search engines and something called no follow blah blah blah …

Alistair McDermott was next to introduce himself (good Dub accent) then there was the lads from Scotland (wife from Germany) Andrew and Wiieb (edit : it’s Wiebke) Burnett, Chris Clarkson and Shaun Anderson. As the drinks flowed I found myself talking to every one as if we had known each other for a number of years, there was more talk about search engines, again, and something called affiliates.

As I have mentioned I am not into interwebby things as long as someone buys from my site, I am not too bothered, well that was till I started to chat to Guy Redwood – his chat under the influence of alcohol was fascinating – I was actually enjoying listening to him go on about eye tracking, Guy such a great bloke. The drink was now flowing freely, pint of beer and vodka and red bull (Chris Clarkson) cheers mate, every one in the room was freely chatting and drinking.

I’m not going to go into the conference on the Saturday, there is a lot of people better qualified than me to blog that.

As I first said to Chris Clarkson “I thought it would be full of fat computer geeks talking to each other through their computers” How wrong can one man be? It was an absolute pleasure meeting every one.

Cant wait for the next one (count me in),

James.