SOBCon07 is finished. But I doubt there’s many that walked away without a ton of inspiration, practical guidance, friendships and an appreciation for the people that put it all together.

I played a small role, helping with the SOBCon website and speaking, but that’s nothing compared to what folks like Terry Starbucker, Chris Cree and Liz Strauss put into the event. And don’t forget Chris’s wife Lisa, event planner extraordinaire. Mike Sansone was integral as well, along with a bunch of others that planned and executed an amazing event.

Oh, and Christine Kane was great. Wonderful musician, entertaining, funny…

I’ve struggled with writing this post for 2 days. Firstly, there are many great reviews already by the likes of Jason Alba, Tony Clark, Hannah Steen , Easton Ellsworth, Phil Gerbyshak, Mark Goodyear and Jesse Petersen.

And secondly, what did I learn that I really wanted to share?

I learned a ton, and many things I was planning to write about here started to become even more crystal clear over the SOBCon weekend. But most importantly, I recognized how important it is for all of us to get out from behind our computers, walk away from the screens and meet one another.

As much as we can build relationships online, there’s nothing that beats face-to-face connections.

For people who “don’t get the blogging thing” they’re missing out on tons of amazing relationships that can be built online, without meeting people directly. But for those of us that do so much connecting online, being given the chance to interact in-person with people is critical. And that’s what SOBCon brought us.

I didn’t meet everyone there. A few people pointed out that more networking/connecting time is needed, and I wholly agree. I know the organizers do as well. But the chances I did get to speak face-to-face with people were great. Everyone stood out for me as stellar. Everyone stood out as a friend (except for one guy yawning in the front while I was presenting; I won’t mention names!)

So I learned a lot. I had a blast. And most importantly I remembered how important it is to not live life through the computer; but to use it as a tool to build as many great relationships as possible.

Here’s a quick shout out to everyone that attended:

Sandra Renshaw Brad Shorr Timothy Johnson Tammy Lenski Muhammad Saleem Lorelle VanFossen David Dalka – Mobile Search Marketing Todd And John Yedinak Joe Hauckes Tim Draayer Jeremy Geelan Sheila Scarborough Steve Farber Dawud Miracle Doug Mitchell Jeff O’Hara Dave Schoof Jamy Shiels Adam Steen Hannah Steen Chris Thilk Barry Zweibel Eric Bingen Ellen Moore Cord Silverstein Jean-Patrick Smith James Walton Sharan Tash Vernon Lun Tony Lee Scott Desgrosseilliers Mark Murrell Kammie Kobyleski Easton Ellsworth Mark Goodyear Ann Michael Kent Blumberg Ashley Cecil Robert Hruzek Sabu N G Lisa Gates Franke James Chris Brown Troy Worman Karen Putz Jesse Petersen Terry Mapes Andy Brudtkuhl Lucia Mancuso Peter Flaschner Derrick Sorles Mike Rohde Thomas Clifford Rajesh Srivastava Claire Celsi Jason Alba Cristiana Passinato Sean R. Alex Shalman Brad Spirrison Ari Garber Dr. Rob Wolcott Cheryll Cruz Sharon Scherer Jonathan Phillips Jason Wade Jill Pullen Doug Bulleit Wendy Kinney Chelsea Vincent Ayush Agarwal Paul Mangalik Premchand Kallan Xochi Kaplan Michael Snell Ella Wilson Adam Kayce Andy Sernovitz David Armano Drew McLellan Mike Wagner Rodney Rumford Robyn Tippins Diego Orjuela Wendy Piersall

Incidentally, the picture below is the best one I found of me — yes, that’s my backside (I’m talking to Tony Clark, standing next to Ann Michael.) There are a few pictures of me floating around, most with my eyes closed…but if anyone has a good picture I wouldn’t mind replacing the one I use on this blog for my headshot.

PS. I will put my podcasting presentation online shortly, in case anyone’s interested.

Since announcing the founding of my new startup — Standout Jobs — I’ve noticed something amazing from my network of friends and contacts that I’ve built through blogging and social networking.

They’re acting as a real-time research team.

In the last few weeks I’ve been sent tons of great information that’s of value to what I’m doing with Standout Jobs. People send links to industry news, blog posts, competitors, etc. All of the information is extremely valuable and hugely appreciated.

This is fascinating to me because it was unexpected. I was certainly hoping for support, and I knew I would lean on a lot of great people for different things (and will continue to do so), but I didn’t expect people to be looking out for me in the way that they have.

It’s a great lesson in the true purpose and value of social networking and blogging: 2-way conversations and reciprocity. Or simply put, “I scratch your back, you scratch mine.”

There’s nothing new in that mentality – I do something for you, you return the favor – but the key difference when it comes to the community of people growing within blogging, podcasting and social media circles is that we return the favor “just because.”

Just because you reached out, I reach back. Just because you took the time to communicate with me, I communicate back. Just because you became a friend, I help you in return.

It’s not so much about doing one another favors, or thinking in terms of business transactions, as it is about connecting and building relationships. The relationships I’ve built through blogging and putting myself out there have resulted in a network of people feeding me valuable material for Standout Jobs. I don’t need to track every single mention of every single thing related to the job market; everyone’s already doing it for me.

That sits at the heart of what we’re all doing: reaching out, befriending others, and having them reciprocate in kind.

Here’s some of the things people have sent over recently:

• What’s Next: The Monster Dilemma
• Lip Dub – Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger
• New Start-up Video Sharing Web Site HireOrNoHire.com Helps Job Seekers Ease Through Job Interviews with Confidence
• Recruitment: What Not To Say – I Love Rewards
• Overhauling the Recruiting Process at CDW Corp.
• Time to Hit Pause on Video Resumes