Spent the past 36 hours at Web 2.0 in SF.
Although the line-up of people–both speakers and attendees–was amazing, the conference left me non-plussed.
For starters, the format squeezed Web 2.0 into a Web 1.0 world.
Somehow, it seemed hard to have such a high-powered audience sit politely while talking heads up on the stage had a dialogue.
Althought it’s challenging to run a conference of 650 or more any other way, the rigid–and old-fashioned–format took some of the air out of the room for me.
Also, it was a conference that seemed to be more about money than about technology, media, products, tools, creativity or users.
The wall-to-wall spackle of VCs, M&A guys, and been around the block CEOS almost overwhelmed the gaggle the West Coast cool kids, new (and old) media managers, techies, big company geeks and accomplished entrepeneurs I’m used to at emerging tech conferences.
On the other hand, there’s no question that there’s a bubble in full swing and that folks aren’t feeling the pain… they’re filled with anticipation.