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The knowledge and initial introductions in online events can lead to hugely positive outcomes in the future, so in terms of ROI I think online events are probab
by breck 6y ago
The knowledge and initial introductions in online events can lead to hugely positive outcomes in the future, so in terms of ROI I think online events are probably far superior, but when I think to my top 100 memorable experiences I've had at events, not a single one of them took place online. Sure, I've met plenty of people that I later became friends/collaborators with in person, but all the memorable stuff happens later in person.
Just a few recent off the top of my head:
- Paddleboard breakouts at East Meets West
- Asking Vinod a question about next-gen registers at Program Synthesis Conference
- Animated discussion about cpu design over beers post conference in SF
- Talking to a startup about IOT management on the roof of an Accel event
And some ones from 10+ years ago:
- When I was a college student sitting on a folding chair and chatting with a nice woman about the startups pitching at TechCrunch40 (turned out to be M Mayer)
- Drew pitching me on Dropbox before launch in Cambridge (boring, I thought)
- Nate pitching me AirBedAndBreakfast in Mountain View (loved the idea from the get go)
The only things that have come close to being memorable online were some recent Teamflow ice breaker type events we did at Our World in Data around the virtual campfire.
- fnordpiglet 6y ago> - Paddleboard breakouts at East Meets West Can be done as online gaming events > - Asking Vinod a question about next-gen registers at Program Synthesis Conference Can be done using a microphone and camera attached to your device > - Animated discussion about cpu design over beers post conference in SF Animated conversations can be done via microphone and video > - Talking to a startup about IOT management on the roof of an Accel event Can be done as a vendor breakout with a virtual background of a roof > - When I was a college student sitting on a folding chair and chatting with a nice woman about the startups pitching at TechCrunch40 (turned out to be M Mayer) You can always sit in a folding chair and chat with M Mayer in a slack room for the breakout > - Drew pitching me on Dropbox before launch in Cambridge (boring, I thought) Drew also has a microphone and camera I bet, but it probably won’t make him less boring > - Nate pitching me AirBedAndBreakfast in Mountain View (loved the idea from the get go) Who would ever want to actually go to Mountain View? (N.b., I lived there for many years)
- alain94040 6y agoYou are missing the point, none of those chance meetings would have happened if they had to be scheduled online.
- fnordpiglet 6y agoYou’re missing the point that that doesn’t mean they can’t, it just means you didn’t get exposed to the opportunities to have them. I certainly have had similar online experiences and probably more - my entire early career was built off of irc relationships, and my most substantial network that has been the most stable over time is built in Usenet and irc relationships. Just because your experiences in life differ doesn’t mean it’s the only path.
- breck 6y agoThese are all extremely good points and I've completely changed my mind, except for the last one. I highly recommend an in person trip to Mountain View if you haven't experienced the joy of visiting a place where even the student drivers are in Teslas.