Google Dance and More to Come
I am going to get to my blogs from yesterday later today. Blogging while learning is rough though, especially without a place to plug in the laptop. That is going to be one of my “next show we need …” comments.
The real news though comes from the Google Dance NW last night. It was a great party put on by Google, with glow in the dark cups, Google SMX shirts, and glowy necklaces. But again, not the real news.
I ran into a nice gentlemen while getting into the elevator. He took one look at my tag and exclaimed “Kate I’ve been looking for you.” That worried me. Who in the hell knew me at this conference? I just started blogging (though I am planning to continue) and have very little personal presence on the web.
Turns out he knows someone I work with, one of the executives (later I find he has met everyone: Jeff, Ed and Al). So I spent the night talking to Jason Robey and his crew from Gardner Publications.
The nights events included two things: seeing the new Ask.com launch live and talking with Matt Cutts in person.
Ask.com
We ran into Patrick Crisp, PR from Ask.com, sitting in a corner typing furiously. After we mistook him for someone else, we got to talking about what he was working on. Apparently Ask had just launched their new site, but stuff wasn’t working. So he showed us around. I must admit I was impressed. The new site is very well laid out, navigation options to the left, content and paid in the middle, and cool stuff that changes based on the search on the right.
Since he was kind enough to do that, we let him in on a few secrets on how Ask can do better. High points:
- Tell us more, talk about yourself, we are rooting for you!
- Talk to the webmasters; Google is great at that and no one else. Pick that up!
- Get a face for Ask like Google has Matt Cutts
- Take share away from MSN, it’s going to be so easy (yes I said that)
Matt Cutts
Poor guy was being cornered by this very pretty lady from Webmaster.fm who had a few too many Google drinks (she admitted it!). So my new friends and I pulled him away. I must say, Matt is a very easy guy to talk to. Even though I am an adoring fan. He was very interested in what I had to say, what I was interested in, etc.
The highlight though was seeing a guy in a kilt (Seattle loves kilts apparently) and telling Matt that it would make a great picture for his blog of him in a kilt. He laughed and smiling (devilish if you ask me) and said “Okay. So what will you do for me? I double dare you.” So now I have to come up with something so that Matt will find and wear a kilt to work some day.
I left the party, said bye to Matt and everyone else with on guy noting “You are one of 10 woman here [Not true] and you’re leaving, that’s sad.” That made me feel better. 
