Web 2.0 Expo Sunday workshops…

Plenty of other blogger recaps out there (just search Technorati for Web 2.0 Expo) but I just had a few personal observations of my own that I’d like to add to the perspective and the conversation surrounding this event which is just getting started:

1) There are A LOT of people here. I’m stunned with how well attended it is and CMP/O’Reilly’s execution which is absolutely first-class. Moscone West is a great hall for this venue, the Expo signage is huge and clear, the people are nice and they’re bending over backwards to make sure it runs smoothly. A few hiccups on registration and audio in one session, but minor stuff.

2) I’m learning. In one session I attended (while I flitted around to try to catch the gist of several of them) which was Stowe Boyd’s workshop on “Building Social Applications” (presentation here) there were several *hundred* people in the audience. Not that I’m some sort of know-it-all, but I usually don’t get a whole lot out of conference sessions — nor do I have the patience for sitting for hours waiting for a jewel or two to appear — but I came away with at least 10 ideas from Stowe’s session. A record for me.

I’ve been in casual conversations with Stowe before and I’m interested in another since I beg to differ with him on one point in his workshop. Maybe this is nitpicking, but when he was comparing the push for personal productivity (like all the buzz about David Allen’s Getting things Done system) vs. the multiple streams of communication many are now involved in (IM, SMS, Twitter) he was characterizing this as a good thing and said, “Personal productivity is less important than network productivity”. I agree…to a point.

When I have Skype, iChat (for a few folks I videoIM with), Adium and Twitter all running — as well as Techmeme, Tailrank and other trackers open — I’m simply interrupt-driven. If I didn’t have stuff to focus on and also being ADD the interruptions make it tough to get back on track…I’d think this was cool. But when do people have time to contemplate? To think? To consider? To visualize possiblities? I submit that turning it off or minimizing the river of information and interruptions is necessary and creating guardrails around brain-time is critical.

3) The people that are here. I’ve already met a half dozen people whose blogs I read faithfully (and two who read mine!) and the hallway conversations are, as always, one of the best parts.

Many in the tech cognoscenti seem to think the Web 2.0 meme has run out of gas and we should be on to the next one be it Web 3.0 or some other moniker. I submit that the tip of the iceberg is just poking out of the water and there’s alot to learn, to see and to build. This Expo is taking the message to the next level of leaders and doers and I’m eager for the next few days to unfold.