Worth the wait
Nov 19 '05
The Bottom Line Texans are great people! They may own guns, but they'll never bring one to a M&G.
It's hard to believe that I've been an Epinions member for almost six years. In that time, I've interacted with quite a few staff members. I've joked with them frequently and criticized them on occasion. Mostly I've worked side by side with them to try to make the site better for consumers. I've talked with a few of them on the phone, but in all that time, I've never met any of them in person.
Despite finally having the opportunity to meet some Epinions staffers, I was apprehensive about attending the Epinions Dallas Meet & Greet. I had no idea who was going to be there, and I know some members within driving distance who would rather shoot me than share a table with me. And we're in Texas. People love guns here! Who knows what could happen?
However, I knew I would be fine from the moment that I arrived at the Meet & Greet. Garrett came out and gave me a hug. (He's gorgeous but shorter than I thought he'd be.) Andrew (bob_tomato), who I'd met when I spent an unofficial location scouting afternoon with him and his wife Amy (pearannoyed), hustled over for a hug and a hello too. Then Cristal came over and did likewise. (She looks like a porcelain doll, but I know from past experience that she can be fierce when needed.) Next in line was Mike.Holmes, who was MUCH taller than I thought he would be. With such a warm welcome, I immediately felt comfortable!
I ended up at a table in the corner with Amy. I've known from online experience and from our scouting afternoon months before that she is someone with whom I can talk for hours. We don't always agree on everything, but I find that stimulating. I grabbed some munchies and sat down between her and Brian (pyfr). Garrett came over and sat down, and we all started chatting.
If you've never been to a Meet & Greet, I highly suggest it. For one thing, it shows just how much that people who rarely (or never) talk can have in common. I've only read a few things from Brian, but I neither of us could remember interacting on site. But before we knew it, he was showing me pictures of his adorable kids, and I was lamenting having left my pictures of my adorable daughter on the counter at home. (I must say that I found his totally unimpressed attitude toward me fantastic! Too many people have preconceived opinions of me, and I loved that he hadn't bothered to form any.) For another, it's a great way to see Epinions through different eyes. At some point, conversation turned to Epinions. Brian's wife Deborah wasn't familiar with some of the odder aspects of Epinions. The poor woman! She heard some long-lost history of Epinions, heard stories of some of the nuttier members of the past, learned about the subtle differences in the ways different people viewed rating, and probably walked away thinking that we were all certifiable!
The table occupants shifted slightly. Deborah and Brian went off to the land of music (in the opposite corner of the room), and Andy (from Epinions), Christal, and Missy (pnutmom) joined us. The waiter came and deposited drinks. (Amy turned out to be much better at getting the waiters' attention than I was!) Then Christal pulled out a pad and got down to the work of picking our brains. The first question was "What single thing would you like to see added to Epinions?" I didn't want to want to say, "An accurate Books database" or "a working search engine". (I had promised myself that I would NOT ruin their visit by nagging them non-stop about things that I've nagged them about via email!) Instead, I suggested more advanced searching capabilities for every section. (For Books, that would mean a search by author, exact title, published date, etc.) We all discussed some other possibilities. Missy was sweet yet quiet. Amy was almost as opinionated as me (not always in the same way). It was interesting hearing some different ideas than mine, and I was again reminded that Epinions is oftentimes limited by having to fill the need for ego-boo while also delivering something that is truly of value to consumers.
Andrew and Mike Holmes drifted back and forth between our table and others. Andrew is the kind of guy that can make just about anyone feel at home. I couldn't help but give him a little grief though. After all, my number for the iPod was only two off his winning ticket number. (The bum!) Mike is typical of most Texans I've met since moving here... friendly, funny, and thoughtful. I'd always respected his writing, and I was pleased to know that the man was what he seemed to be in his reviews. We talked about members that had left the site and had a mini-fan club meeting for jkkelley and ed_grover (their ears should have been burning!).
The bad thing about Meet & Greets is that they don't last all that long. If you happen to end up in a chair next to people with whom you enjoy talking, you don't realize how much time you've spent in the same place until the waiters come to start taking the food warmers away. All too soon, it was time to go. I had a chance to meet Abraham (openroad), but I missed meeting the third CL in the room madtheory (who I've always respected but never talked to) and a bunch of other members.
Unfortunately, due to other social obligations, I was unable to attend the pre-party or the after-party. (It was my hubby's birthday weekend, and I'd been invited to six other activities the same day. Crazy weekend!) But I agreed with Andrew and Amy that we should all get together again. (Maybe if we're lucky, Garrett will have enough frequent flyer miles gathered up to come back during wildflower season!)
I was disappointed that a some of my favorite Texans (mshawpyle, aggiebrett, kchowell and a few others) didn't make it to the Meet & Greet. I'm pretty bummed that scmrak fled Texas and didn't return for the Meet & Greet. I wish that Alexis and Andy Diamondstein (two of my favorite Epinions staffers ever) could have been there but was pleased that Alexis had sent her regards with Christal. It was still fun, and I'd go to another that was in driving distance in a heartbeat, no matter what potential hazards to my health might await me.
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Epinions.com ID:
gracef
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Lost in Texas
Reviews written: 206
Trusted by: 314 members
About Me:
Well, bless your heart!
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