So, blog-writing... dangerous thing. You can reveal things you never thought anyone would read ever... lesson-learned: People read your blogs! Shocking, but apparently true according to Thomas and Mike at The Signal.
These guys spend their time reading, chatting, getting shouted at by their boss. Much like my life actually, but I don't have the reading and chatting! :)
The Signal is the podcasting station for MIX08, and we've just had our (first?) chat about the MIX conference in Vegas; and apparently they'd read my blog. Which shocked me, but it's heartening I guess!
Yes, I've been to MIX twice already, and yes, it's a long way to go; but worth it. At Conchango we are technology agnostic, about 60% of our projects are on a Microsoft platform, the rest on J2EE, Adobe, even. At the same time, we're very advanced in our adoption of WPF, Silverlight and Live Services, so a Microsoft backed conference is certainly interesting, but there are three reasons why I go:
1 - sure, to find out about what's going on at Microsoft, but I could find much of that out elsewhere, and sometimes, if we're on the right early adoption programme, I already know, so on its own, it's not that really I guess; although it's a big part of why many people go.
2 - inspiration and debate - there's a lot more to MIX than Microsoft. Last year, notable speakers for me were Lou Carbone and Jesse James Garrett. Both notable for work in design, and technology, but mostly with a focus on customer and user experience of one kind or another, and the Director of Digital Marketing at Coca Cola, as well as other notables on various panels. You either find yourself sitting there smiling, or fuming and desperate to grab a microphone and put your two-penn'orth in! Either way - it's all good!
3 - the network - the people you go with, the people you meet from other companies, as well as connecting with the 'mother-ship' as Steve Clayton calls the Microsoft folk from Redmond, including product teams that you don't normally get to see... you never know who you'll meet and what might come out of it.
So that's what I say, but make up your own mind. Or wait a few weeks and pick up MIX in your own area, when the ReMIX events come around - here are last year's if you can't wait.
Oh, and of course go listen to the podcast!