Social Desire

Didn’t attend IM Spring Break? 23 Reasons You Should Have.

After spending four days in Florida with the IM Spring Break crowd and attending the conference & enjoying the parties at night It didn’t take me long to realize that this is hands down the best conference I have ever attended. And, from reading others tweets I come to the realization that this conference is a "must attend". In case that wasn’t enough to get you to realize you should be totally bummed you decided not to attend the IM Spring Break Conference here are a ton more reasons you should Kick your own Ass for not attending IM Spring Break.

• Small conference….. big knowledge. I know small isn’t always, the best description of something wonderful. But, trust me on this one. What I think made this conference so amazing was the small size. I had a chance to sit down with practically everybody and have a nice conversation. At no time did I feel rushed to hurry a conversation so that I could find the next one to talk to. There was plenty of time to get to everybody.
  
• Intimate Conversations - Due to the small size of the Conference I was able to have some wonderful intimate conversations with not only Industry Leaders, but the awesome guys running the whole show. That has never happened to me…. but on the first day I shared lunch with Loren Baker and his beautiful wife, Janna.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Best of the Best in our Industry speaking on Search, Social and Internet Marketing - Loren, Dave and Jordan made sure to get some of the best in our industry speaking on the panels…. making sure we were learning everything from the most knowledgeable in the field.
  
  
• The Q & A’s after with amazingly awesome top secret info….. seriously, TOP SECRET. Only people that were there have the benefit of hearing the information. And, even if something wasn’t covered in the Q & A’s there was plenty of time for conversations with the speakers later. If you are beginning to the get the feeling of kicking your desk for not attending…. I can understand.
  
  
• The food, the YUMMY food. And, I am not talking simple meals. I’m talking about meals that knock your socks off by simply looking at the colorful presentation. Loren, Dave and Jordan spared nothing to make sure we ate like Kings and Queens.
  
  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Open Bar - The attendees of IM Spring Break were offered Open Bar every night. Do I really need to say anything else about this? I’ll just repeat it….. Open Bar EVERY Night.
  
  
  
• The pool - A Gorgeous pool that many of us got to enjoy….. whether we wanted to jump in or not. Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to personally thank Streko for my shoes just finally drying.
  
  
  
  
  
• Poker Games - Yes, we even had poker. And, even though there were some winners and some losers from the looks of everyone participating we enjoyed ourselves either way. I even managed to spend some money during Poker just watching… Not sure how that happened.
  
  
  
• Arm Wrestling Neil Patel - At what other event could I have a chance to kick one of the Speakers Ass’s in Arm Wrestling. I doubt anywhere else. But, at IM Spring Break I was offered the chance to do just that. I took Neil up on the offer to arm wrestle and I fought really hard to beat him. Unfortunately, I totally got my ass kicked. I’m pretty scrappy, but he must be freakishly strong for his small size. He also took $20.00 from me from losing.
  
  
• Beautiful Friendships - While at IM Spring Break I was fortunate enough to build beautiful friendships that I have no doubt that will last a lifetime.
  
  
  
  
• Free Chiropractor on Call - We can all totally use a good back massage from time to time. And, there were plenty to go around at IM Spring Break….. thank you Chiropractor Mike.
  
  
  
  
  
• Killer DJ - At the indoor BBQ Party there was some awesome music during the open bar and dinner. I mean, I’m talking killer music. Thanks to Steve Plunkett for giving up his yummy dinner to make sure to keep us totally happy until the live band started. Proof the music rocked is in the pics my friend…
  
  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Lots of Dancing - Steve had the music playing for 2 hours until the live band started. Giving us 2 hours extra to dance…. and dance they did!!
  
  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Live Band - Yes…. Loren, Dave and Jordan spared absolutely no expense to make sure the attendees of the conference were kept happy and entertained the entire time. They hired a live band to get people out on the dance floor. But, it turns out they were just the opening band for a rock band MUCH larger….
  
  
• SEO Rock Band - This might come as a total surprise to you, but many of the leaders in our wonderful Industry are also musically gifted. Our very own David Szetela and Jeff Quipp surprised all of us by announcing that they were going to get on stage and entertain us with The SEO Rock Band. And, they were good. No, I’m lying….. they were freakin awesome!! Like, I’m talking about lighter waiving and girls screaming kind of awesome. But, that wasn’t the end of it….Loren Baker and Tony Adam got on stage with them and were just as amazing making up their own SEO lyrics to popular songs. It was so much fun. Still not over…. I got more. Brasco from WebMaster Radio sang La Bamba perfectly. I mean, perfectly. Steve Plunkett did some singing as well… as did Aaron Chronister’s beautiful fiance, Jenny. It was an amazing night with some of the best fun I have ever had. Many of us want to know when the SEO Rock Band’s CD will be coming out…. it truly would be a must buy!!
  
  
  
  
  … and the lead singer even had his groupies:
  
  
• Neil Patel made me Breakfast - I’m assuming that Neil was feeling bad for hurting my ego the night before in arm wresting, but whatever the reason he made me a toasted bagel, went out of his way to find the exact type of cream cheese I wanted and spread it on my bagel. Thanks, Neil…. it was an awesome bagel.
  
  
• Drinking being part of a session - The wonderful Tony Adam brought out beers for everybody during his IM Business session. He was going through his 9 Steps to get people excited about what you are doing. And, as he pointed out sometimes you just need to "take a break and knock one back!!" I agree, Tony.
  
  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Milk & Cookies - Thanks to Allyson Fergison, aka SEOaly we all were able to enjoy her homemade cookies. Allyson was the very lucky winner of the free pass to IM Spring Break. She was so excited to have won she apparently didn’t know what to do with her pent up energy that she decided to bake like a mad woman. And, a mad woman she was….. she came to the conference with 600 freshly back chocolate chip cookies. Could you imagine this happening at a huge conference? No, I don’t think so. I’m telling you… small intimate conferences is where it is at!!
  
  
  
  
• Rock’n Keynotes - We got to hear some of the best keynotes I have ever heard. The keynotes were from Chris Winfield, Neil Patel and Rae Hoffman. Really, really great stuff…. all three were totally passionate and equally motivating. The best combination.
  
  
  
• Sushi baby - I will have to admit…. I have never had sushi. I have always been afraid to try it because of the fact it is raw fish. But, upon being pushed to try it…. try it I did. Oh My God…. it was so good!! I am now sushi’s biggest fan.
  
  
• Bacon Explosion - At the IM Spring Break BBQ Party the food continued to be just as impressive as any of the other meals that the gentlemen of IM Spring Break provided for us. This meal had a BBQ flare. But, the highlight of the meal had got to have been the Bacon Explosion. This dish was thought up by Aaron Chronister and loved by everyone I spoke to that night. I can’t even describe the taste to you…. just trust me when I say it is like no other. And, you have got to experience it for yourself. Yep, just another reason you should be kicking your own Ass for not going to IM Spring Break.
  
  
  
  
• Appearing on Webmaster Radio - Webmaster Radio was at the conference the entire time and many of the attendees of IM Spring Break appeared on Webmaster Radio being interviewed. Even I was one of the lucky ones. It was so much fun!! I felt like a superstar.
  
  
  
• Weight loss - Apparently the more you eat the more weight you lose. It probably has something to do with the fact that you can eat healthy even at a conference.
  

Okay, you still don’t believe me that this was the conference of the year??? Don’t take my word for it…. check out what Alysson Fergison had to say about it. Her tweet totally sums up my entire post…

Just to let you know….. IM Broadcast has other conferences coming up in the future. They mentioned doing one in the next few months in California and another Scary SEO in October… this time in Atlantic City. So, keep an eye out for the next IM Broadcast Conference and sign up. Otherwise…. you are totally missing out on the best Marketing, SEO, and Social Media Conference out there!!

Thank you to those who allowed me to use the wonderful photographs they took during IM Spring Break. Most of the photos on this page came from either Janna and Loren Baker at the IM Spring Break Facebook Fan Page, Rafael Montilla and Dana Lookadoo’s Flickr Page. So, make sure to check out their photo pages so you can check out the rest of the IM Spring Break pictures.

Posted in Conferences, Parties, SEO, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking, Web 2.0 | 11 Comments »

Spring is in the Air…. Can you spell Spring Break??

I’ve been kind of out of the loop for a few months. I’ve been dealing with some family issues and lowered my social media work load a bit so I could deal with the issues. Things are beginning to get easier and I am beginning to be able to find some breathing room. Winter was difficult and long, but happily Spring is on its way and I totally can’t wait for it to arrive.

Spring brings new hope for me and also brings warmer weather, beautiful flowers, leaves on the trees, fresh air and the sounds of children playing outside. April brings May flowers. But, there is something else that April will bring to the Search and Internet Marketing community… A conference that is one of the most talked about, anticipated and affordable conferences in Search. Not sure what I’m referring to??? Well, let me spell it out for you….

I - Internet Marketing - Three days of Internet Marketing focused education and networking in beautiful Florida. Sounds good to me.

M - Money - This Search Conference is only $370, but is packed with 3 days of awesome sessions and great parties. At this cost it’s a steal!!

S - Social Media and SEO Days. A day will be spent on each. And the Speakers on those days Rock. Speakers include Kenny Hyder, Greg Finn, Brent Csutoras, Reg Saddler, Todd Mailcoat, Neal Rodriguez, Li Evans, Jeff Quipp, Brian Chappell, Carolyn Shelby, Wil Reynolds, Rhea Drysdale, Steve Plunkett and Rae Hoffman. Day 1 Moderator - Jordan Kasteler and Day 2 Moderator – Loren Baker. I told you they rocked, didn’t I?!

P - Poker Tournament - There is a Poker Tournament on the first night. You never know how that will turn out, but you know it will be a good time!!

R - Rhea Drysdale - She will be speaking during SEO day and I’m totally looking forward to this. Not just because I’m hoping that she will appear as SheRa, but also because I was lucky enough to meet Rhea a few months back and I think she’s wonderful, but have yet to hear her speak. So, I can’t wait for that.

I - Information - You can count on learning plenty of new and useful information from the speakers who happen to be some of the best-of-the-best in our industry.

N - Networking - Oh, Yeah!! This conference will have tons of chances to network with the speakers, monitors and other colleagues in our field. This conference is small, only a few hundred attendees, that makes the chances you will be able to spend some time with the speakers quite likely.

G - Goals - They have two main Goals with their events. 1. be the best value in Internet Marketing conferences and events; 2. to provide the best education and networking mix available in an Internet Marketing conference. Sounds great to me.

B - Beerlympics - Okay, I’ll admit it….. I have no idea what this actually is, but I’m dying to find out. I have no doubt that the Beerlympics will be one of the highlights of the entire event.

R - Rae Hoffman - I have yet to have heard Rae Hoffman speak nor have I been fortunate enough to meet her at any other conference. But, I love her blog and I’m hoping to get to meet her at this event. Not only is she speaking at this conference she is also doing the Keynote on day 3.

E - Entire Event - Hello?! Have you not been paying attention?? Check out what I mentioned thus far….. This event ROCKS!!

A - Affiliate Marketing Day - Affiliate Marketing Day is day 3 of this conference and it is sure to be a great day of sessions!! Check out the speakers…. Michael Streko, Aaron Chronister, Rae Hoffman, Frank Watson, Brandy Eddings, David Szetela, Chris Hart , Pamela Lund and Tony Adam. Moderator – David Snyder

C - Community - Many of the attendees are part of the online communities that you frequent on a daily basis. This is your chance to network with these members face-to-face. And, meet other members of the community that you have yet got a chance to get to know online. This is a great way to build up your friends in the online community…. by meeting them face-to-face.

K - Keynotes - 3 Amazing Keynotes by impressive members of the Search and Internet Marketing Community.

• Day 1- Chris Winfield
• Day 2 - Neil Patel
• Day 3 - Rae Hoffman will be giving the NDA Keynote

I-M S-P-R-I-N-G B-R-E-A-K

So, if you haven’t figured it out already….. I am talking about the IM Spring Break Conference coming up next Month. It takes place from April 2-4 in beautiful Boca Raton, Florida. Like I mentioned earlier the cost is so reasonable at $370 for the entire 3 day conference. And, if you use the code SEO when booking the hotel it will only cost you $119.00 per night. Totally an awesome price.

Check out the IM Spring Break Sessions….. they sound wonderful, don’t they?!

So what are you waiting for? Go buy your tickets now for IM Spring Break!! Hope to see you there.

Posted in Conferences, Parties, SEM, SEO, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Sphinn, Tips and Tutorials, Web 2.0 | 7 Comments »

Help the Children by Attending the Internet Marketers Charity Party

Are you attending SMX East on October 6th? If you are make sure to attend the Internet Marketers Charity Party on October 6th. It is sure to be an awesome event!!

The Internet Marketers Charity Party is being hosted by We Build Pages & sponsored by BestOfTheWeb, 10e20, SugarRae, Search Engine Journal, and Sure Hits. The money they raise that night will help to support the Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald House has been supporting and creating programs that improve the health and well being of children all over the world for more than 30 years. The party costs $50.00 and not only does your money go to support this amazing charity, but you get open bar for 3 hours. Plus, you get to party with some of the best Internet Marketers around the World.

So, come raise money for a good cause as well as shmooze with some of the best Internet Marketers around….. I will be there.

Internet Marketer’s Charity Party Details

When: Monday, October 6th 8:00 - 11:00

Cost: $50.00 donation to Ronald McDonald House

Where: Social Bar - 795 8th Avenue, NYC

Need more details?? Check out the Internet Marketers Charity Party website.

Posted in Parties, SEM, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking | No Comments »

IMNY Charity Party - Oh, What a Night!!

I attended the Internet Marketers of New York Charity Party on Monday night and it has got to be chalked up to one of the top experiences in my Professional Career so far. I got to meet many bloggers and Social Media Icons that I have admired for some time. These are the people that I have been Stumbling and Sphinning for the past few months. Up to this point the face I could put to their brilliants posts were the Avatars that I have seen on Sphinn and StumbleUpon.

I was lucky enough to meet up with Marty Weintraub of AimClearBlog. He is a top Sphinner and was sweet enough to take the time to introduce me to some of the most brilliant Bloggers writing about SEO and Social Media. I feel honored to have gotten to know Marty and I can’t thank him enough for making this evening more special that I could have ever imagined.

This Charity Party was sponsored by Best of the Web. I got to meet Brian Prince, CEO of Best of the Web. Brian puts on a great party. He is so funny and down to earth and it was truly a pleasure to meet him.

Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land & Sphinn was also there. Danny was probably the person I looked forward to meeting the most and meeting him was even better than I could have imagined. He was in town for SMX Social Media that was beginning the next day…. I have got to get to one of his conferences!!

Chris Winfield, a top Sphinner and President of 10e20, attended the Bash and he is nothing short of amazing. He took the time to chat with me and I can sense that he loves what he does by the excitement in his smile and eyes.

Brian Wallace is not only a top Sphinner, but an amazing Blogger as well. I spent much of the evening chatting with Brian and it was certainly a pleasure.

Tamar Weinberg, one of the women bloggers that I look up to the most, was amazing. I got to speak with Tamar a bit and made sure to let her know how much I admire her writing. She is absolutely a brilliant writer, but I also applaud her for speaking her mind through her posts. From women everywhere, Tamar….. Thank you!!

There were so many others…. Matthew Currier, Brent Csutoras, Li Evans, Kim Krause Berg, Rebecca Kelley, Kevin Heisler, Neil Patel, Sara Holoubek, Jason Falls, Michael Demby, Charlene Jaszewski. There are probably others that I am not mentioning, but these are all the business cards that I collected. So, if I forgot to mention you…. please accept my apologies.

A special Thank you to Marty for letting me use the wonderful pictures he took at the party.

Technorati Tags:imny charity party, social media, social media conferences

Posted in Conferences, Parties, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking | 23 Comments »