Blogger Social 08 looks to be a very good conference, and I plan to sign up and come to it (I'll probably sign up in a month or two) - I know there won't be any press passes to give out because, pretty much, everyone going is "Press" in the form of influential bloggers.

In fact, this is not the first time I wrote about Blogger Social 08, I actually heard about the Blogger Social 3 months ago - Blogger Social ’08 in New York City and said then, it would be good to go and you can't beat the price.   I guess, I hope it won't be sold out before I and a couple of others sign up.  Here's what CK-Blog has to say about Blogger Social ' 08

NOTE: updates to that list expected. As in, many mo' a coming!)

Still need to know what this is about?

• Origin of this fabulous idea is right here.
• Idea became a full-throttle Web site and registration system right here.
• And here's a map that Matt made showing where everyone is hailing from. Ain't technology fun? (psst: socials are more fun).

PS: There is one MAJOR downside…it's not until '08.

PPS: Yes, even if Web 2.0 dies the social is still on. Because socials are always in style.

PPPS: Yes, it would be really awesome, wow(!), great and soooo super if you fine folks would blog about the event as I found out a lot of people don't know about it. Which begs the burning question: how can it be that people don't read my blog?

Remember, GO HERE to learn more and to REGISTER. Yes, do it now and yes, I'm very bossy (but markedly less so with some bubbly ;-).

They haven't gotten a location yet - but I'm guessing a place like the New Yorker Hotel would work out pretty well for them, provided they had a large enough crowd.  Other places that might work is the Brooklyn Marriott - but don't know what they have planned.  

I'd sign up today but right now I'm funneling any spare money I have toward the the invariable holiday expenses and LeWeb3 07 which I'm attending in 3 weeks.

And while I'm on the subject of value - and Blogger Social 08 seems like a good deal (esp, if your me, and live in New York - there's no travel expense) - it's good time to focus on why some conferences aren't worth going to such as Webmasterworld - PubCon Las Vegas: Yes or No?

Johnon.com, in PubCon Las Vegas: Yes or No? questions the value of many conferences - because, at the end of the day, they don't, any longer, deliver that much value except to a select few:

"….as “the affordable conference” , it’s still $900 registration fee, r/t airfare, and 5 days hotel and food/drinks. When you add it up, that “affordable” reg fee represents less than 20% of the total out of pocket expenses for attending".

"…Help me out here… why drop another 2-3 grand to attend PubCon Las Vegas this year?"

"…PubCon has similar sessions to SES and SMX, although mouch more from the look of the agenda. However, they run concurrent tracks so you trade variety for accessibility. You can still only attend what you have time to attend.

Similar speakers to SES and SMX. I don’t frequent WebMasterWorld so I probably don’t appreciate the opportunity to meet the players behind the handles as much as others might."

Small conferences - when they grow beyond a certain size, need to re-think their value proposition.

"….It’s time to talk about yet another seo conference: PubCon Las Vegas. Yet another week of travel. Yet another chance to open the overnight bag and remove the laptop, remove the little plastic bag with shampoo and shaving cream, and remove my shoes so I can shuffle through airport security in my socks (ever notice how filthy that carpet is?). Yet another sterile hotel room. Yet another “opportunity” to eat way-too-large restaurant servings and get way-too-little exercise. Here in the Pacific Northwest we define “exercise” as getting outside in the rain and wind and sun and sea breeze/mountain air, not “climb onto the exercycle in the air-conditioned hotel weight room and watch TV while sweating”. Can you tell I am weary of travel ?

Yet that is what this is… with SES, SMX, several related industry events and now PubCon, we need to seriously consider whether all this travel is worthwhile or an effective use of time. "

Now, I'm going to try LeWeb3 07 which was "HOT" last year, and in Paris, who can lose?  I go to both US based Emetrics Summits, now as a speaker and as WAA Board of Director - I go to Search Engine Strategies - where they're here in NYC and I can get a Press Pass (as I have for the last 4 years) and I'll go to local conferences in New York like AlwaysONNYC (because they're in NYC) and Virtual Worlds 2008 in New York -

but I will not pack my bag for Webmasterworld.com - there's no value there for me.  I know Sebastian over at Webanalyticsbook.com wants to go and is planning to be there - but only people who really, really can get leads and close deals - or just want to party (which has gotten ultra exclusive now, btw, just attending does not get you into many, if any parties anymore) - ….. the value proposition of attending is just not there.

And that's why I don't go to PubCon's anymore - the last one I went to was in Boston, almost two years ago, and it's seems like I've moved in other directions from the crowd that hangs at PubCon.

But I'd take LeWeb 3 any day over what they have planned at PubCon….

Can you blame me?  And yes, I think Blogger Social 08 is a really good deal, btw.