MVP Summit 2008 - Part 2 (Rob's Online Note Pad)

MVP Summit 2008 - Part 2

Sunday 13th - Day before conference

Got 2.5hrs sleep last night. Got up at 2:30am and did some work.
Bought a cheap electric jug so could boil up some water and have a hot lemon drink and some quick oats (Hotel wont supply a hot water jug).
Paul picked me up at 9:30am for church. Starting to recognise the people in the church. A real nice bunch.
Unfortunately I fell in to a deep sleep during Ray's sermon. But it was refreshing.

Had lunch with Paul and Tuula, Hanah and Sammy O'Rear. Tuula had made one of my favourite meals. Grilled Chicken on a bed of baby spinach and salad. Yum! We had a good catch up. I gave them some Australian Ginger products and 2 bags of our favourite Aus Organic popcorn.

Paul drove me back and I had a snooze.

Dana, Dana and Char arrived later and checked in. We went over to the Washington Convention Center and registered for the conference.

Paul arrived and I took everyone to the Dragon? restaurant opposite the Hyatt where we had a scrumptious shared Asian meal. Paul shouted (hope you get MS to cough up Paul).

Paul and Char

Me, Dana Worley, Dana Cline (no beard)

Then Paul and I had a muck around on YouTube (old band clips etc) and I showed him my new guitar.

Still awake at 12:30am. Why?

It's really stretching the budget but I ordered the Toshiba NoteBook I wanted via Amazon. If it does not arrive in time they said I can send it back for a full refund. Its an outstanding PC (more powerful than my desktop) and I'm saving around $1300 by buying it in the states. Total cost with tax and 1 day shipping is US$2500 - So about AU$2700 -- The same PC in Australia is over $4000.

Update: There was a delay in shipping the laptop so I had to cancel the order.

1am bed time - Hope I get > 2.5 hrs sleep tonight.

Monday 13th

Sleep in. Gym. Oats for breaky.

Oh good Graces sheet music has come in from Amazon

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Qty Item Price Shipped Subtotal

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Amazon.com items (Sold by Amazon.com, LLC):

1 Modern Jazz Piano: An Inte... $19.95 1 $19.95

2 The Piano $12.69 2 $25.38

1 The Stephen Schwartz Songb... $15.61 1 $15.61

Shipped via DHL (estimated arrival date: 21-April-2008).
Tracking number: 23623498581

MS Sessions Started today

11:30-12:30 -- Lunch for 2000 MVPs.

12:30 -2.00pm - Welcome and KeyNote was Sean Driscoll

So opened by the new MVP boss; Collen (works under Sean) said some nice thing about Sean and how we will all miss him.
Sean is the Keynote speaking on Web 2.0 (which is basically about collaboration on the web).

A big hall (at Washing State Conference Center). 4 enormous screens (2 either side of the speaker)

Toby Richards (new General Manager Community Support Services) opened - Rattled on about the events for the week.

The Collen pays tribute to Sean (the out going GM)

Then finally Sean does his Key note entitled: "Web 2.0: Conversations" "if you could only know what your customers know"

This has been Seans little hobby for a while. It was very interesting. Collaboration on the web is obviously in its early days but
getting more sophisticated every all the time.

Web 2.0 is all around us now.

Categories of conversations

Open Space Sessions

Next the MVPs broke into small groups to discuss all sorts of things (previously worked out via some submission process I hadn't seen).

The sessions are run by MVPs and the discussion will be published.. somewhere so that discussions can continue beyond this time if you want.

This is a bigger Open Space discussion on NewsGroup experience and how can we improve it. I though the sessions didn't work too
well - however I'm very tied and jet lagged.

So then Bill and I went out in the rain to "Office Depot" to buy a switch so we can both plug into the single wire network.

Then we headed back - There was 1hr for catchup/drinks with your group. And then on to dinner.