mesh was the best conference that I've ever been to. I got so much
value out of it! I would have happily paid for it from my
starving-grad-student budget(*) had my research supervisor not caved
in and handed me his credit card.

What did I learn from mesh? I loved the keynotes by Dr. Michael Geist
and Tara Hunt for both content and presentation style. I enjoyed
Phillip Smith's whirlwind discussion of grassroots movements and the
Web 2.0. I was fascinated by the not-quite-successful social
experiment of a projected backchannel chat in Michael O'Connor
Clarke's session on engaging the blogosphere.

But all of those things paled in comparison to corridor chats and
afterparties. Those were totally, totally cool, and I'll tell their
story after I wake up.

Here are, I think, a few of the reasons why this conference was a spectacular experience for me:

• Barcamp and other tech gatherings meant that I already knew a few
  people there, which made it much easier to meet others.
• Volunteering at the registration desk meant that I could say hi to
  all the people I knew and make an impression (positive, I hope!) to
  the organizaton.
• Smiling certainly helped.
• Oh, and of course writing down notes in my little black Moleskne
  notebook. =) That way, I can remember a little bit.

Mentors? Everywhere I turned, I found someone who was not only doing
exactly what I want to do but was also happy to help me learn more
about it.

I'll blog more some other time, as my eyes are closing of their own
will. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow…

(*) Well, not so starving thanks to the fellowship…