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WebmasterWorld Boston Pub Conference Saturday April 26, 2003 - Road Report

April 28, 2003

The event wasn't until Saturday, April 26th but the crowd began gathering on Tuesday, April 22nd. The official location of the "pub" of the conference was unknown to most until right before the drinks started flowing and the networking began. Participants came from nearly 20 countries around the globe. It wasn't a Grateful Dead concert or the latest incarnation of Woodstock, no, it was an Internet Marketing conference, affectionately known as the WebmasterWorld PubCon.

Self-described search engine addicts and affiliate marketers with nicknames like oilman, shak, engine, skibum, mackin, and rcjordan gathered to talk shop, share stories, strategies, and insights for promoting websites, increasing search engine rankings, online sales, and conversion rates.

There were some agency folks among the ranks, but most seemed to be independent consultants and small business owners. Some were in the adult and pharmaceutical industries and rolling in the cash day after day after day while others focused on regional guides, real estate listings, or selling mens suits online. Each had unique stories, experiences, and strategies to share.

The conference officially kicked off on Saturday, April 26th with presentations from several search engines including Google (Matt Cutts) AskJeeves/Teoma (Paul Gardi), Overture, (Dan Boberg), and FAST (Tim Mayer). Reps from the engines obviously knew the audience. Real answers were given to real questions; nothing was dumbed down for the sake of the attendees. Google and Teoma traded barbs in a lighthearted manner and added just the right amount humor to keep everyone smiling throughout the presentations.

As with most conferences, sponsorships were available. Google, GoToast, Overture, PositionTech, and Search Engine Commando were all listed as sponsors. Google took the cake with the coolest (lighted pen) giveaways and $20.00 AdWords coupons, while GoToast drew business cards for a deluxe toaster, PositionTech gave away pens, and Search Engine Commando gave away several copies of search engine ranking and domain management software.

Following the presentations, it was off to the Pub. Participants were treated to an open bar at the pub as they networked and mingled with the gracious search engine reps, who were at times cornered, answering questions about inclusion, PageRank, site penalties and other SEM issues. Following the Pub, participants broke into groups to enjoy the Boston sights, nightclubs, and outstanding Italian, seafood, and sushi restaurants.

Despite the prominent status of WebmasterWorld as one of the top 300 most visited sites on the web and the single largest community site online of any kind, the conference was small when compared to Search Engine Strategies. What started out as an informal gathering of Internet Marketers in London two years ago has become one of the most anticipated conferences in the industry by those in the know. As WebmasterWorld continues to be known as the single best source of website promotion information on the net and continues its organic growth via word of mouth and search engine referrals, look for the Pub Conference series to experience explosive growth as well.

Whether you are a beginner or veteran site promoter, a WebmasterWorld Pub conference may be the single best learning and networking experience you can't afford to miss. You'll find the same friendly, and welcoming atmosphere at the conference as you will on the WebmasterWorld boards.

Cheers and many thanks to Brett Tabke and the WebmasterWorld crew for a phenomenal conference, flawless execution, and all the time and effort required to make it the tremendous success it was.

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