Amsterdam , The Next Web Conference and Twitter

Again, I must have been under the rocks. This is existing and happening on my doorstep (or in my backyard): Yesterday and today The 2008 Next Web Conference is being held in Amsterdam.

What is The Next Web Conference?

The Next Web Conference is THE European conference for industry thought-leaders, leading web-companies, innovative Startups, visionaries and real Web savvies. This third edition will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on April 3rd & 4th, 2008.

Twitter
How did I find out about Next Web? Recently I joined Twitter as a result of attending the ITB Berlin Travel Bloggers Summit where I felt a bit as an outsider as I observed some fellow travel Blogger busy Twittering away while I was fudzing around with my old laptop in order to get a proper WiFi connection which was not stable at ITB.

At first I was afraid Twitter would be nothing else than ICQ that I used a lot eons ago. I am still a bit proud I have a very low ICQ ID number (under 100K while the last time I looked years ago they were in the 9 mio) laying around, but I don’t use it anymore. Also because after ICQ a whole lot of similar chat programs came around. When you are concentrating behind your computer it is frustrating to see the pop up screens flying over your computer or ICQ spammers harassing you. It may have become much better nowadays, but I won’t look at it. One of the advantages is that you can spread around your new posts via Twitter Feed, which as I am writing this is temporarily out of service, from a company not related with Twitter. The Blackberry and Iphone aficionados can keep in contact with each other and SMS Twitter feeds to each other.

Via Twitter I noticed that Robert Scobler, one of the Blogging Gurus (Yes from Scobleizer) was traveling to Amsterdam to give a presentation.

Early this morning another guy made the comment that two guys were paying attention to the presentation and the other 699 attendants were playing with their laptop, blackberry or Iphone…..

This comment triggered an old story of one of the partners of my former law firm who gave a presentation in Japan for the first time. I am now talking about late seventies/early eighties. When looking to the audience he saw everybody sitting with their arms crossed and a small bag in front on their tables instead of busy taking notes. After the presentation everyone left in a hurry. This was unusual because he was used to everybody coming to him with questions or to exchange business cards…..It turned out that he had speeched to an audience of private chauffeurs of the captains of industry who he was led to believe he would be speaking to. They all had their little Dictaphones with them and hurried to their bosses after the presentation, which story brings me:

Back to The 2008 Next Web Conference
The modern times learn me that you can behave like those wise Japanese bosses from the story above:

• Most attendants have Camcorders and record the presentations. Either they publish them on their Blogs or on Youtube, or you get streaming life video from the conference.
• You have live feeds from conferences like this on Twitter, just follow Twitter | Next Weblog or
• Follow the Bloggers:
  • Foremost The Next Web Blog which is reporting almost life, or
  • Anne Helmond

There are 25 startups featured who paid a hefty Euro 2.500 for having their 5 minutes of fame.

Barcamp Amsterdam IV
Tomorrow the conference will be followed by BarCamp Amsterdam IV. You can give them a notice if you want to join here. I will see if I can hop in.

If you like you can follow me at
Twitter | Happy Hotelier.

Post Alia: Most attendants seem to stay in the Lloyd’s Hotel in Amsterdam.

Added March 5:
If you want to know the twitter people with the most followers, click Twitterholic.com