Report from Les Blogs

It’s been an excellent (though lengthy) day here in Paris at Les Blogs (oui, lesblogs). As always happens at conferences, I blogged notes from the first few sessions, but then got burned out and stopped. As Stowe recommended, I ought to tag-team in the future with somebody to take notes in the afternoon.

It was particularly interesting to consider in terms of Northern Voice, the blogging conference I helped organize back in February. Here are my more-or-less random notes about the event:

• Great venue – The Luxembourg Palace is an extraordinary building, and one of the birthplaces of democracy. I think it added a degree of formality to the conference.
• Great people – I got to meet a bunch of great people that I’ve really admired, as well as a ton of really smart people who are new to me. In particular, the likes of Doc Searls and Roland Piquepaille.
• New perspectives – The session I enjoyed most was Hossein Derakhshan, Yat Sun and (whose name I’ve forgotten) a journalist from the International Herald-Tribune talking about blogging in Iran and Asia. That panel stood out as offering a ton of new information.
• Two geek conference pain points – Wifi and power. The wifi was a bit sketchy, but there seemed to be plenty of power to go around. Chris Pirillo is very aware of this issue–check out what attendees get.
• The day was too long – I pitched up at about 8:10am, and it looks like I’m not going to get out until 7:30pm (and then there’s a party). We all had a laugh at a guy who had fallen asleep in his chair in the late afternoon. They should have either had two streams (corporate vs. personal?) or spread over two days.
• Registration is a bitch – We learned this at Northern Voice, and Les Blogs had the further complication of a security checkpoint and metal detector inside the Senate.
• Mental note for future trips – “Buffet” has different implications in France than in North America. Apparently it’s French for “tiny, beautiful culinary creations which one must eat 37 of to approximate dinner”. That’s probably just my North America stomach talking.

Still, logistical issues aside, congratulations to Loic and his crew who did a magnificent job.

Today was also my birthday. I can think of worse ways of ushering in your 31st year than spending it in Paris in a palace.