DaveNet: Sunday, October 19, 1997; by Dave Winer.

To Agenda Attendees

The Agenda 98 conference starts today in Phoenix, Arizon.

I could have participated, as I have in the past, by speaking from the audience, asking questions of the people on stage, but after last year's experience, I decided I didn't want to do that, for a variety of reasons, which I want to briefly explain.

First, read Sept 30 in SF to see how I feel about microphones and Q&A sessions at conferences. When I line up to speak at a microphone I get nervous, get into my head, the spontaneity is gone, and so is much of the fun, for me.

Second, being in the audience makes it hard to do my job. Inevitably the speaker talks down to me (why not, they're on stage, they can't even see me). Larry Ellison was rude and disrespectful last year the one time I spoke. I can shrug it off, but I'm only human, and I prefer not to be put in embarassing situations.

Third, I look for ways to earn my presence at conferences by facilitating and performing. Agenda is expensive. I also have a much richer hallway experience if some of my ideas have been aired from the stage. So, while it isn't cast in concrete, I prefer to go to conferences that I speak at.

To my friends who I will miss, I'm sorry I won't be at Agenda this year!