Sphinn - Lee Odden Interviews Matt McGowan: Lowdown on SES New York 2008

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Lee Odden Interviews Matt McGowan: Lowdown on SES New York 2008

Went Hot: February 13, 2008 - 2:15 pm
Posted By: aimClear 510 days ago
Topic Type: News Story (Jump to http://www.toprankblog.com)
Category: SEM Industry

Lee: SES conference NYC is "undoubtedly one of my favorites" & coming up fast, March 17-20. Since SES changed formats starting with NY, "I pinged Incisive Media’s Marketing VP Matt McGowan with a few questions."

8 Comments

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from kevinheisler 510 days ago # - show/hide this comment

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SES New York alert: Deshpinn! Desphinn! Stop gang voting before it happens :0

from SlightlyShadySEO 510 days ago #

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The hell are you talking about?

from kevinheisler 510 days ago # - show/hide this comment

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10 desphinns can take down this SES New York sphinn - before it goes hot. Unless for every 2 desphinns an additional sphinn counters the double-desphinn.

(evil green monkey warned sphinners about "gang voting" - ask EGM, i never heard of it before)

from evilgreenmonkey 509 days ago #

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@kevinheisler: Do you get free crack at Incisive?

from dannysullivan 509 days ago #

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SSS, Kevin's referring to the discusson that erupted over SES London hitting Sphinn here, Search Engine Strategies London 2008. That's when Matt McGowan, the marketing VP that Lee is interviewing in this article, submitted what was effectively the home page of the SES London web site. I noted that by rights, we should have pulled the article, since the home page of a web site isn't a news story. That developed into a little "oh, so Sphinn hates SES" drama that Kevin's making a joke about.

Kevin, as I said in that thread, I have no problem with actual articles about events run by anyone that are on internet marketing showing up here. This is a great example. Lee's done a fine job interviewing Matt and talking about what people can expect in the programming for SES NY. There's no need to detour off the content of the article.

Since I did the series since it, well, began, I find the idea that there are now "strategy sessions" somewhat bemusing. I know my programming. I always had strategy sessions with tactical sessions. "Vertical Creep" was one example of that -- talking about the coming of blending search back in August 2005 at SES, before it ever hit. Did the same thing with local and other things, you name it.

The real change seems to be that starting in Chicago (rather than it being new for SES NY), strategy panels are given an actual name "Orion Panels." So that's smart marketing if you're trying to help people understand there's a strategic element and they weren't getting it before.

I can't tell if people weren't getting that before or not. The only real thing I've evern seen was when Did-It's Dave Pasternack went on a "call it search engine tactics" riff last year in DM News here.

This confusion is so deep and widespread that the title of the industry's most important trade show, SES (Search Engine Strategies), is 180 degree out of phase with what the show actually is: a show about Search Tactics, not about Search Strategy. As anyone who's attended SES knows, the vast majority of information conveyed by panelists and pundits is tactical, not strategic.

He goes on, and DM News never bothered to publish my response to him, explaining that SES indeed had both strategy and tactics. But never the less, SES as a series seems to be very sensitive to that column. If I were still with the series, believe me, I'd go into depth and itemize the strategic panels that were always a part of it. But I'm doing SMX now, and I assume that it's easier for SES to have a sales point of making strategy appear like it's a new change.

In terms of Q&A, I don't recall getting feedback saying more Q&A time was needed. I think that's because we always provided tons. Sessions typically went 75 minutes or 90 minutes if there were multiple speakers, and moderators always kept speakers to a tight schedule.

Still, can't you get more out of the Q&A time? What I have heard is that people would like to see better questions come up in the time period. That's why for SMX West, we have this dual moderator system we're running, where a knowledge expert takes in questions and puts up the best ones to the audience for a vote. There's more about it described here.

In my years doing SES, what I heard repeatedly more than anything else was the programming was great but folks wanted a better experience: printed confernence handbooks, better lunches. So that's what we've been doing for SMX.

from toprank 509 days ago #

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Sphinn id 28000 - wow! BTW, I can't see the "Who Sphunn" or "DeSphunn" info. Anyone else?

OK, I admit I'm ignoring some of the thread above. It's curious to say the least.

As for submitting content to Sphinn or any other social news site, the guidelines are pretty clear wherever you go (Sphinn, Digg, Reddit, Propeller, etc): original and timely news.

I've made it pretty well known, I hope all the conferences in play do well. I think there's more than enough audience to go around - that's just my opinion.