I am watching as the blogging world crucifies me for not attending Blogworld in Las Vegas this week.
Here is why I didn’t attend Blogworld in Las Vegas this week:
I never agreed to attend the conference.
I would really appreciate it if the organizers of Blogworld would post something clearing this up.
Not one person who trashed me, many of whom I consider friends, even bothered to email me and ask why I wasn’t there.
Update: still no word from the conference organizers, and the trashings are now worse if anything. I think a lot of people wonder how I could miss my name and picture being all over the conference site. Others speculate that this was a PR stunt to get links. All I can say is that I don’t monitor what’s said about me on the web because there is no much negativity – I stopped looking in late 2005 and asked friends not to send me links to stuff that is trashing me. So I don’t see lots of stuff about me.
The first I heard about the event was early this week, and an email thread started. I said I had no idea I was supposed to be there. The conference sent another email asking me to come but got the dates wrong on the panels and at that point I just sort of dropped it. As someone who has organized conferences, I assumed they would handle this since they had a responsibility to the attendees.
And one other thing – unlike most startups who kill to speak at conferences for the exposure, it’s a net negative for me. I literally see attending a conference as a cost in terms of writing time. A day away is so many posts that I can’t write, etc. And if a big story breaks, it can be a very steep cost. When things like this happen, it gives me just the excuse I need to firmly tell everyone who contacts me that I can’t speak at their conference. So just to be clear, I’ll be at LeWeb this December because Loic is a friend. I’ll be at Davos early next year. And that is it. Not one other conference is currently on my schedule, and I doubt I’ll be adding any others. If I do I’ll post a note here on Crunchnotes. And if anyone sees my name on another conference site, please let me know and I will request that they remove it.
Update 2: I just spoke to Rick Clavert, the guy who put on the conference. First of all, he says the stuff in blognation is simply fabricated and that he did not make those statements. Rick and I had a high level conversation in August about me attending the event. I said sure, if we can work out the details (I say this to event organizers about once a week, most of the time the details are NOT worked out from there). Then it fell off the grid for me and the next time I thought about Blogworld was this week when I got an email from panel members asking what we should be talking about. My response to them was “I’m attending an event this week?”
Looking back through my emails, there were many from people associated with the event that I never read – I get through maybe 10% of my daily emails and I generally look for stuff from people I know. The conference assumed I was attending. I believe that was a mistake, since they never had direct communication with me again.
The problem here is that Leo said on stage that “I forgot” which is innacurate and sensationalist. And then blognation got very aggressive in trying to make this into something it isn’t. At this point I’m pissed off, and Blogworld is concerned about protecting their brand. I believe we both made errors.
But the net effect of this is, I won’t be speaking at any more conferences. It’s all downside. Perhaps one or two next year for good friends, and that’s it.
Update 3: Fuck it. Disregard the above. The real reason I didn’t go? I had the flu. Or something. Yeah. That’s it. So everyone just back off, and tell me you hope I get better soon.
if they don’t trash you how are they supposed to get traffic or linked to? lol.
Wow. Since you weren’t here, not sure if you have seen the printed materials but your name is everywhere along with the Web site – your photo is front and center. I’ve updated my post on CN.
Fair enough Mike, but honestly you are getting a name. Good that you commented on this one. Don’t know about emailing you
I hear you are a busy man. I wouldn’t expect a reply.
It’s not for anyone to tell you what to do… but maybe posting in the sidebar where you are attending would clarify a lot. Might solve 80% of the hassle.
I get the feeling you should probably put a “where I’ll be” on crunchnotes so you have the first and last word on stuff like this.
Post it here then Michael. Why couldn’t you attend the Expo? Must be some reason!!!
Why didn’t you say something before the conference when they were using your name to promote it? That would have been a better time to raise the issue, don’t you think?
Seens you might be choosing your words a bit carefully. “I never agreed to attend the conference.” Did you communicate with them at all? If so, what did you say?
I read the stories linked into techmeme, and I don’t see anyone trashing you or crucifying you. Seems you’re a bit oversensitive. Is just mentioning your name trashing or crucifying? Maybe you’re doing the trashing and crucifying. Just a thought.
I find it hard to believe that Rick Calvert (the one who put on the expo) would ever use someone’s name that said they weren’t going to be there. I would assume the hassle that would cause both parties would not be worth the positives they would both get out of it. However, if I am wrong and this is in fact true then I will retract my statements.
I do recall a conference a couple months back Mike that you showed up to a keynote 30mins late…
If the BWE story of you canceling at the last minute is right then you are certainly starting to make a name for yourself.
It’s not like he’s going to tell you something at a conference you can’t read here already anyway.
It’s happened to me once before too, where a conference says I’ll be attending as a speaker, but never asked me. I happened to see my name on a promotional mailing.
Behind the scenes, it could be that someone was supposed to ask Mike, forgot to, and the promotional material went out anyhow.
It seems to me people are just catching a ride on your name and the supposed ‘no-show’ as a good old fashion publicity stunt.
I say anyone who does it, can be safely excluded from being your friend by any definition, as seems that their loaylty is just with getting some Hits and Traffic and not interpersonal relationships.
I had something similar happen with this same event. They asked me to speak, I told them I would consider it and next thing I knew I was speaking! I had to tell folks to take me off the list like five times.
I think the producers of this event were a little too aggressive.
DC Crowley says on Blognation: “Mike has have a long history of being on the bill and not turning up (without canceling). We might like to chirp against Arrington here. That is not the point. The point is arrogance and respect for your audience. I think he should be left of the bill of all shows for a while. How can conference organizers think he is a show pullers when he never turns up. Drop ‘em I say. Surprised at Om! Should I be?” How about we just ignore Crapper Crowley for a while?
You say:
“Not one person who trashed me, many of whom I consider friends, even bothered to email me and ask why I wasn’t there.”
Know why? Because everyone assumed you are fully capable (even likely) to do it. You wanted the bad boy image dude. Believe me, you have it. Live with the consequences.
EB
“Not one person who trashed me, many of whom I consider friends, even bothered to email me and ask why I wasn’t there.”
and yet
“I get through maybe 10% of my daily emails.”
Maybe they did.
There is something so completely lame about ad hominem attacks, about something as stupid as conference administration, and about this whole flame war.
Frankly, while I’d love to hear you talk about all sorts of topics, blogging isn’t one of them. While your writing is in the style of blogs, your business is in the style of a trade journal or investment newsletter, not a model widely applicable to a general audience of bloggers.
Your notes about cutting off ego surfing are one of the hallmarks of celebrity: becoming selective about how and from whom you hear about yourself. As we all become more “famous” we’ll have to learn how to manage overwhelming positivity and negativity that lives in the general buzz.
The whole name calling thing is beneath us as a writerly community. I’m just waiting for someone to call someone else a nazi so we may invoke Godwin’s law and end this teapot tempest.
All the best, Mike.
Mike, you say, “I said sure, if we can work out the details.” and the event organizers and Leo LaPorte reported you forgot you were supposed to attend.
Sounds like they had it right. You agreed (albeit without specific details) and then forgot about it.
I think you owe Rick an apology for claiming he didn’t have his facts right.
I’m squarely with you on this Mr. Mike. It was their responsibility to clarify attendance details, not yours. I’m guessing it was an honest mistake on their part but they need to own up to it. I’m confused why there is no email trail here though – why did they assume you’d be there without a written confirmation?
*
The good news is how much people were upset you were not there. Unlike Britney, they *want* to see you and you can be proud of that dude.
In a couple weeks, everyone will forget about this. Blogworld needed (wanted) you more than you needed it. You are at a level where you don’t really need to attend events like this. I would just blow it off. I can think that there were at least four bigger incidences that involved you over the last three years. The funny thing is, I can’t remember what the details were, at all. This goes to show that this is not a big deal.
Michael, no one can unring a bell. The only thing you may regret about this in the future is not quickly hiring an experienced crisis advisor. Rightfully or wrongfully, flaming arrows are headed your way. I’m not selling my services (my client roster is full through 2008), but you *really* need to ‘think out loud’ in a conference room surrounded by people who can truly help you. It’s not about who is right or wrong, its about getting past this and gaining altitude. Best wishes, -BH-
Brian – wow, is this really a “crisis?” I thought it was just me being pissed off. I don’t think I’ll be hiring a publicist any time soon to help me tone down my messaging.
Seems, like Mike said, that mistakes were made on both ends. I’ll say this on Mike’s behalf… people should never, never assume anything. I come from a radio background, and when you have an important interview booked, you get verbal/e-mail confirmation, and cell phone numbers of both the person being interviewed and his/her handler. If the person to be interviewed is a no show, the host of the show looks at one person, the producer who booked it. And in this case … the conference booked (or tried to book) Mike, and they did not get proper confirmation from him.
Managing daily communication has become a monster for many. I’m not at the success stage (yet!) where my inbox and voicemail are filled to the brim. But I picked up some interesting tidbits from Tim Ferriss, author of the 4-Hour Workweek, at the NewNewInternet conference in Reston, VA. He apparently gets 1000 emails a day, and has a full time assistant handling his communications. If anyone wants to view his keynote, it can be found here: http://tnni07.thenewnewinternet.com/agenda
The guy outsources just about everything in his life, and can juggle a million things at once. Not a life I”m interested in, but he has obviously cracked the code and figured out how to keep up with the e-mail and request deluge.
Sorry to have unintentionally misrepresented the situation, Mike. I merely repeated what I had been told. I didn’t have time to confirm it with you – it was just before the session – and I had no reason not to believe the organizers. I did, however, need to say something to the attendees who expected you and Om to be there. I gave them the reasons I was given, exactly as I had been given them without embellishment.
I was looking forward to hearing from you and Om, but the session went well and Justine Ezarik did a great job filling in.
Mike, despite your obvious human presence, you have escalated to a brand – and one with considerable long term value. It’s OK to be passionate, even pissed off. The key is where, when and how. Only you have the answers. My suggestion for an advisor/mentor (not a classic PR person) is to allow you to hear your ideas and plans out loud. In essence, this person will stand at the white board as you plan your way forward, and without any attempt at spin, simply help you figure what goes in the benefit and risk columns. The answers lie in the man who stares back at you in the mirror. Oh, and that advisor/mentor need not be a paid professional. It may be your old High School Coach, a Pastor or any manner of trusted friend. Small and purposeful actions today, can give you the peace of mind in knowing you’ll be where you need to be in the years to come. Best wishes! -BH-
Arrington was supposed to go to Gnomedex and didn’t show up there, either. Given that he was preparing for TechCrunch20, it was reasonable for him not to come, but then why was Chris Pirillo still thinking on Friday night that he was coming? You’d think that Arrington could give somebody some notice. But he doesn’t, because he’s a self-absorbed arrogant jerk.
So who is lying? Rick says in the very post that claims it’s his fault and not yours, that you did agree to attend.
Bradford – I was supposed to go to gnomedex too? OMG wow. I never knew. Far as I know I wasn’t even on the speaker list.
ridiculous.
Sounds like you need a great admin
You need to learn to laugh all the way to the bank and quit whining about people saying bad things about you. Go or don’t go, I don’t see where it matters, to tell you the truth. What would you possibly say to a bunch of bloggers anyway, particularly the group that you love to trash from PPP?
If you don’t care what people say don’t blog about it like they’ve wounded you to the quick, and don’t get pissy when someone else has a real reason for not attending.
Karoli – appearances seem to be more important to you than reality…thus my “changing” my reason to a sickness. And am i not supposed to reply when a horde of bloggers pull out the pitchforks and call for a burning? I’ve ignored stuff in the past, and it has become “fact.” Just see dc crowley above.
Mike
Initially when I blogged about this, I was making a larger statement about the industry, it wasn’t intended to be a personal attack, but I can see why it would feel like one.
In retrospect, I’m not feeling so hot about that post, even though my intentions were not to make it personal.
I’ve updated the post as quickly as possible (it’s a jumble of updates now), and have been making corrections. It’s really hard to tell who said what, but I’m pretty sure given that what Rick said, i was a misunderstanding.
I owe you and apology, you’re right, we should have checked with you first.
In public, I’m apologizing you to you, I’m sorry for any grief I caused.
Jeremiah Owyang
Question: did you get an airline ticket, and was a hotel room booked for you?
Elijah! what I think or say is not the issue. Go back to blognation and see the rest of the discussion. It’s getting interesting. iJustine did great seemingly, maybe we have a new speaker? I also said earlier on the discussion *here* that Mike could clear up a lot of issues by maybe publishing a calander of where he is speaking. Could clear up misunderstandings which seem to follow Mike about. The issue is simply about going to a conference and getting to seewho you pay to see. The reason it went wrong is presenting conflicting stories here. Lets clear it up and move on. Not trying to convict anyone here. greetz from the two faced whining snake
I’m typing trype. Retry: Elijah! what I think or say is not the issue. Go back to blognation and see the rest of the discussion. It’s getting interesting. iJustine did great seemingly, maybe we have a new speaker? I also said earlier on the discussion *here* that Mike could clear up a lot of issues by maybe publishing a calander of where he is speaking.
The issue is simply about going to a conference and getting to see who you pay to see. The reason it went wrong? Both sides seem to be presenting conflicting stories here. Lets clear it up and move on. Not trying to convict anyone here. greetz from the two faced whining snake
Honestly, if Mark Cuban can attend so could you!
“Bradford – I was supposed to go to gnomedex too? OMG wow. I never knew. Far as I know I wasn’t even on the speaker list.”
BS, Arrington. You were on the attendee list. I never said you were a scheduled speaker, but Chris expected you to participate.
Here are two things you’ve asserted above regarding BlogWorld which clearly aren’t true:
1. I never agreed to attend the conference.
2. The first I heard about the event was early this week
You even admit it yourself:
“Rick and I had a high level conversation in August about me attending the event. I said sure, if we can work out the details (I say this to event organizers about once a week, most of the time the details are NOT worked out from there).”
The arrogance of that last sentence is off the charts. Why aren’t the details worked out? Because when people give you the details, you blow them off.
So here is the central issue that people are fed up with regarding your behavior: “Yeah, I’ll tell people I’m going to do something, I’ll pat their heads and nod, and then I’ll ignore their follow-ups, because fuck them, anyway, I’m the great Michael Arrington and who the hell are they but people wanting to use me for their own gain at my expense.”
That’s what you’ve admitted to here with your “net negative” analysis and your “I don’t read emails” excuses.
At least you’ve finally quit pretending that you’re one of us and that you see yourself as above us all.
Well I say that thing is for certain.. you seem like a real dick
Ok where do I start? How about stop it please?
That won’t work. TechCrunch and Mike are very successful brands and that makes them a huge target. So lots of people are going to take shots at him whenever they get a chance. This confusion gave them a chance. Combine that with the fact that lots of people also wanted to meet him and hear him speak and were understandably disappointed you get this blog drama.
Lots of people were asking me why Mike wasn’t showing up, I told them all what I knew but I also told them all that it wasn’t his fault and told them we didn’t want to this to reflect negatively on him. A couple of folks asked me to speak “on the record” and I told them no. I wanted to get my facts straight before saying anything like that.
This whole thing proves the saying a rumor gets around the world before the truth gets its shoes on.
Mike wanted to come, he was excited to come and he has told me this in three separate phone conversations. Two of them coming after the event and all of this drama. He seems like a really nice guy and a stand up guy to me and a credit to the blogosphere. That no doubt has a lot to do with his success.
He just had a schedule conflict and it was an honest mistake. He even tried to rearrange his schedule at the last minute and that fell through due to my mistake. Period.
Others have said the responsibility was on us to double triple and quadruple confirm his appearance and they are right. We did do this with our Keynote speakers but not with Mike.
I only spoke to Mike once before the event but in my mind we were confirmed. All those details are in my post. My only defense is Mike was not giving a keynote as some have falsely reported. He was scheduled to be a panelist on two talks. We had about 150 speakers at the conference. About 6 did not show. All with good reason.
One only made it after a member of my staff gave up her plane ticket at the last minute and drove to Vegas. Another missed his talk due to being mugged Thursday night. We were told he had been stabbed. He is ok and that was a rumor. He was injured in the attack but not severely.
I understand that to many of you TechCrunch is the most important, loved, hated, influential, site in the blogosphere, but in the scheme of our event he was only a part of something much much bigger. An important part.
This was supposed to be the world’s first gathering of our “industry”, representing very diverse members of the blogosphere and it was. We had people who are just as famous, influential, loved and hated as Mike from numerous blogging communities. Including Leo Laporte, Markos from Daily Kos, Glenn Reynolds from Instapundit, Mark Cuban, Matt Burden from BlackFive (the biggest milblog in the world) La Shawn Barber (a huge godblogger), etc. They were all walking the hallways and aisles meeting their fans and peers from other genres they had never met or known about before.
If you ask any political blogger who Mike Arrington is 99% of them will have no idea. I know because I asked them. Before we launched this show I had no idea who he was. I had several people come up to me and tell me they had no idea there was such a thing as a milblog, while they had the most famous guy in that community standing right next to them.
I am sorry that many of you were disappointed in not seeing Mike there, I am sorry Mike had to take all of this abuse, but most of all I am sorry for my part in bringing out the worst of the blogosphere in this particular instance when it was my intention to bring out the best in us.
I hope this is the last word on this and I hope we can all move on and represent ourselves to the world in a positive light. I can assure you they are watching right now.
Most sincerely,
Rick Calvert
CEO & Co-founder
BlogWorld & New Media Expo
ps
Blog on!
Of all the things I am pissed off about, I think the fact that Bradford is calling me a bad person for not attending a conference where I wasn’t speaking (just an attendee) is the most ridiculous. I mean seriously, you guys are just a mob at this point and nothing I can do is going to make you stop.
“BS, Arrington. You were on the attendee list. I never said you were a scheduled speaker, but Chris expected you to participate.”
I mean, seriously. What. The. Fuck.
Mike,
It’s a classic – and unfair – case of shooting first and, unfortunately, asking questions (or waiting for the correct facts) later.
Mark
what the hell is a milblog?
oh wait–i looked it up. some of us have been around here so long we remember when they were called warbloggers.
you have to be kidding me – even if you say you didnt know and that none of your
“friends” talked to you – bullsh**. you know going to vegas your supposed friends
would mail/twitter/im you to hang out, it is vegas after all. and duncan, your lead writer also confirmed
that he knew you were going. you have the world at your feet and yet you act like a jerk so much. and now you attack om, yet again. wish i could understand
why he decided to be in your techcrunchies. if it was an open event, you wouldn’t
have stuck it under tc.com to grab alexa
if you want to be the leader, act like it. otherwise get out.
and to rick – you used mikes picture to promote the event and get signups – you
yourself just said above that lots of people asked you where he was – so yes, it
would be like promoting a singer who you havent even signed to appear. had this been
a concert, many would have asked for their money back.
so much drama in the lbc.
don’t sweat it. i think most people who are complaining weren’t even there themselves. plus, do they think travel/lodging is cheap? good god, if you go to 2 conferences a year, you’re dropping 2k+ easy.
You asked “WHAT. THE. FUCK.” so I’ll tell you.
At your level, you’re never just another conference attendee. You failing to show up without notice is no different that giving an affirmative RSVP for a dinner party and then not going, without so much as a call to the host and/or hostess.
This isn’t about one conference or two. It’s a pattern with you, which is why you’re getting the reaction you are. And your “I’m a busy person” wore thin a long time ago. We’re all busy. We all have important lives.
Given your age, with your advanced education and your high social standing, you can’t be a complete social moron, so yeah, the only other explanation that I see is you’re a bad person who does this no-show act knowingly and without remorse.
Bradford – Lot of anger, no facts to back it up. “You failing to show up without notice”. Never happened. Not once. Ever. At any event.
Your last comment attacked me for not showing up to a conference where I wasn’t even a speaker. That is absurd. ABSURD. you have an agenda. i really don’t care what it is that I did to offend you, but get over it and get over yourself. you don’t know me and yet you write like you’d take pleasure in seeing me dead.
hey, guess what! Comments are now closed. Go away.