Pubcon Survival Guide – Making It Count – Part 2

Yesterday  I posted my Pubcon Survival Guide. Its aim was to provide practical information and insights for beginners on topics mostly outside the  sessions and conference. This post will step it up and dive into the conference itself along with networking tips.

Registration

Pubcon Tote Badge. With so many useful compartments there's no excuse for running out of business cards.

My first bit of advice was going to be that you should show up early on day 1 of the conference to avoid long registrations lines.  But with the mailing out of new PubCon Tote Badges, my advice has now changed to – don’t forget to bring it.  Michael Dorausch has a nice post with practical advice about what to put into your tote badge.  I’m a sappy dad who by day 2 will be missing my wife and kids, so I plan on turning my badge over to my 6 year-old son and 4 year-old daughter to see how they can glam it up a bit with some Vegas style bling.  It’s craft night at the Tirey house this weekend and I’m sure they’ll make a beautiful disaster. I’ll keep you posted.

Morning Breakfast & Keynotes

The morning keynotes are way too early.  This is why there is so much advice about how to properly endure Pubcon. If you’re working it right, you’ll be doing 18-20 hour days for a 3 day burst.  I find it quite a challenge to get there on time since I’m from the east coast. My advice is not to slow down, it’s to push it hard and not be a baby in the morning.

Do not be late. Do not sleep in.

When you arrive in the morning, with sugar-free Rockstar in hand, there will be pastries, muffins, fruit, juices, water, coffee and tea.  Grab what you need and then sit down at a table with people you  do not know. Let the networking begin.  Head over to the keynote speaking area early if you want a good seat. Towards the front will be tables for laptops and power.

Networking At The Sessions

My comments on networking is all common sense stuff that just needs repeating.

Rule #1, networking starts before the show begins. I’m networking with you right now .

Bring more business cards than you ever think you’ll need. If you meet someone interesting, don’t forget to write some notes on the back of their card because it’ll be a blur the next week.  If your business card has a gloss finish – stop doing that. It smears and defeats the whole purpose.   Follow people you meet on twitter immediately as this could be your best information for what’s going on later that night.

At morning continental breakfast, lunchbox lunch and other events sit down with people you don’t know.  I can’t say this enough.  If you’re going to Pubcon alone, this is an easy thing to do because you have no choice.    If you’re going as a group or have your own posse of friends, avoid the comfortable temptation of hanging out with them too much as this will isolate you from meeting new people.

If you liked a session speaker it’s well worth it to stick around after the session and speak with them.

There’s not much I can add to this. Don’t be a wallflower loner! I’m one myself  by nature but not while at Pubcon.

Session Etiquette

I’m just ranting here, skip this section if you don’t want to listen to a whiner because whining is what this section is all about. Listen, I’m an old fashioned when it comes to how to behave when attending live speaking session. For me, I like to pay attention. That’s just my thing it doesn’t have to be yours.  My rant is that I can’t stand it when people are outwardly appearing distracted on their phones to the point where others (me) notice.  All the laughing and banging away on their iphones and BBs with one another when they’re just 10 feet apart is disrespectful.  I’m not saying not to do it, whatever it’s a free country, just show some love  and respect to the speakers and others in the room who are not privilege enough to be in your tweet stream and be cool about it.  Enough said.

How To Be A Cuttlett (Without Looking Like One)

If you have ever seen Matt Cutts at a conference, unless he is walking very very fast, he will have around him what are called Cuttletts which is the throng of people who are seeking his assistance.    As far as I know, the origins of this term is here.  I’m on the fence about the term. With certainty it’s a witty observation and yet, for me at least, the term is a bit of pejorative as it implies that Cuttletts are the little guys with a singular focus on the big G.

It is something to see true indeed, but I say join the mosh-pit. Be a Cuttlett if you need to be.  Step up and orbit Matt like one of the tiny moons of Jupiter!  Meeting the right people and getting access to real help is what Pubcon is all about.  The truth here is that it’s worth it. Matt is a very polite guy who will listen to what you have to say. He’s a pro.  It’s worth it because he acts on the information you give him.  I had a website with duplicate content problems. After clearing the problems and patiently waiting the site was still penalized.  I ran into Matt, who I had never met before and exactly 7 days later the site was restored.  But I didn’t have to appear like a Cuttlett to get action.

Here’s an inside tip to being a Cuttlett without having to look like one if you want to save face or don’t have the time to stand around.  Unless Matt has gone all high-tech since the last time I saw him at a show, he keeps with him a simple card holder.  Just write your domain and problem on the back of a business card and hand it to him. He’ll file your card with the rest and hopefully you’ll see some movement on your problem.

You can see in Danny’s photo Matt taking notes on the back of a business card. I say be a Cuttlett, it’s worth it if you have a problem that needs G’s attention and you don’t want to play the waiting game.

Closing Thoughts

Have fun and try not to let any work back at the office dominate your experience.

If you have not attended before, see Pubcon as an annual event you go to.  This means that you should introduce yourself to Brett Tabke because you’ll see him again next year and maybe be pitching the Pubcon team for a speaking spot down the road.

Pubcon is very much a social event that extends well past the sessions. To make the most of that, be yourself but be outgoing in your actions to meet others. A tremendous talent pool attends Pubcon and the seeds to both friendships and solid working relationships can be planted there.

I welcome any comments you might have. I saw yesterday and today too other PSG’s.  Here they are with additional insights which I enjoyed.

SEOMoz: 7 Tips For Surving Pubcon Good thread, like always from the mozzers, with awesome insights.
SEOCopywriting: 15 Tips for a successful Pubcon Heather adds some great ‘after the show tips’.