#webmonday

Social Media Club Frankfurt beim #WebMonday Frankfurt. #wmfra.

#WebMonday fängt gleich an. Auch im livestream. Unser Punkt kommt ganz zum Ende. #wmfra

Vikram Kriplaney ([@krips](http://twitter.com/krips)) Mobile Architect at local.ch talks about why native is the way to go for them. This talk was part of the 2nd Web Monday Zurich 2012 held at HP Switzerland - http://events.amazeelabs.com/en/event/2nd-web-monday-zurich-2012

I attended #WebMonday last night hosted by @AWormus, a.k.a. www.aguyonclematis.com. Attending were close to thirty Internet search engine optimization professionals, up-and-coming professionals, dabblers and at least one observer - me. After one unConference style session I'm hooked. Now I'm wondering, do I still consider myself an observer? I'm thinking I'm a dabbler and I encourage all other dabblers out there to learn more about this rapidly evolving medium of marketing, branding and damage controlling of services, products and yourself. One quote that stuck out to me was, "...it's all speculation and testing." In just a couple hours I was quit enlightened by the concept that I was sitting among a group of unique scientific minds. Could it be that our present day IT, programmers and SEO professionals are similar to the pioneering engineers and astronauts who sent a human to the Moon and returned him safely within a decade? From what I heard last night, it seems to me that even Google doesn't have it fully figured out. These explorers are sailing uncharted seas. Unlike the space program, many of these scientific researchers are fortunate to have clients that understand the importance of the research and have the resources to fund it; ultimately with the hopes of receiving higher search engine ranking, branding and product or service sales for themselves or their companies in return. Just as interesting as the variety of information shared was the diverse audience/participants/presenters. I'd like to say I arrived without any preconceived expectations but it would be reasonable to say that because I was invited by my Gen-Y son, I probably had subconscious prejudices. As a Boomer, I was prepared the feel like an outsider; which was perfectly fine. An idea I once had for a reality show was about an old guy trying to fit in. Besides, observing human behavior is an exercise that always interests me. Not only was I pleased to see other Boomers there, I was amazed at the wide spectrum of ages, backgrounds, and involvement in the SEO industry. Becoming a part of the discussion was easy. From geeks to surfers (the real ones, not the Internet ones) and from desk jockeys to trust-funders. Of course, these are my bias characterizations, except for the surfer, his reputation as an accomplished writer and marketer on the subject was prevalent in his presentation...but he fit the stereo-typical visual profile, as well. As an association executive and part-time entrepreneur, I found the content of the discussion relevant and mesmerizing. BTW, "content" was the topic introduced to the discussion by the evening's first ad-hoc presenter, my son, @GarrettSEO. My thumbs were typing notes into my smart phone memo pad as fast as my brain could move my appendages. Of course, as a newbie, every bit of information was a revolution to me. To others it was probably like, "That was so last week." But if those thoughts were present there were no disparaging comments; unless obviously done in fun. I don't want to give the impression this was a stuffy group; far from it. All discussion was uplifting, positive and constructive. Except for the last presenter...she has issues that are more fitting for a different focus group. She will be included in my prayers this week. Despite the unexpected turn at the end, the night's journey was definitely right on track and well received. Most of all, it was a pleasure to spend time with my son and watch him perform "at work" and within his professional element. It definitely qualifies as an entry into the "proud moments" category.