On the 13-15^th of this month, a number of us headed up to SocialDevCamp Chicago to take part in the 2 ½ day conference.  Hosted at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the event had lots to offer for curious minds!

Now, I need to be up front and admit that I’m not a developer… or any kind of techie for that matter.  My interest in this technology has nothing to do with actually being able to create it.  I suppose that I would be considered a consumer of the creative works that these developers come up with – a heavy consumer at that

That said, I did speak at the conference.  I know, I know… what would be the purpose of me speaking at a developer’s conference?  Great question!

I spoke about Racker Talent and a number of the trends that I’ve witnessed within the HR/Recruiting field.  My hope would be that in sharing the challenges and needs of the field, these brilliant folks are better able to come up with more ideas to solve them.

Luckily, I wasn’t alone.

Two fellow Rackers joined me for the conference and also spoke – Robert Taylor (Robot) and Robert Collazo.

Robot’s presentation was titled “Memes, lolcats & Rickrolls: The Serious Business Of Social Dev” – he was hilarious as always.  Robot always does a great job of putting things in perspective and making me think about how communication online actually works.  For those who don’t know him, he is also the Tweeter (if that’s the word) behind @Rackspace.  You can also find Robot on Twitter at @rjamestaylor.

Robert Collazo (we’re still trying to come up with a nickname) spoke on “Scaling The Cloud.”  Robert did a excellent job breaking down what (in my eyes) seems to be a fairly complex structure.  By the looks of the group listening, there were a number of “Aha!” moments, which is always fun to watch.  You can find Robert on Twitter at @rcollazo.

I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect when I boarded the airplane in San Antonio and headed North for Chicago.  Part of me was concerned that I would spend the next few days in a confused and lost state – let’s face it, this stuff is complicated unless you know what you are doing.

As it ended up, I did spend quite a bit of time really confused… but, in a good way.

Developers and the work they engage in are pretty amazing – I mean, they do feed our online social appetites will all sorts of fun and useful tools. They also help create new ways for us to communicate and (in many ways) improve our overall quality of life.  To all you developers out there, I salute you!  I don’t understand everything you do yet, but I’m learning and it’s impressive.  Thanks for being open to a non-technical observer asking less-than-intelligent questions.

Before I go, there were two really cool tools that I wanted to share.

The first tool that impressed me is called A Space Apart.  In a nutshell, their new system allows you to bring together all attendees at a conference so that everyone can continue the conversation and engage in real time.  It’s a really cool tool with lots of potential.  Be sure to check them out!

The second tool that had me raising my eyebrows was Weave The People.  This tool makes it much easier to connect and collaborate with various attendees at an event.  I recommend you check out their site to learn more.  Their founders are really great guys with a ton of passion.  I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of them soon!

So, that’s the story.  Great trip, interesting information… lots of collaboration!  If you are going to be in the Chicago area next year around this time, be sure to visit the conference and take part in the fun!

Special thanks to Veronica Ludwig for letting us know about this event and inviting us to participate!

In 2010, Michael joined Rackspace Hosting in San Antonio, TX to head up global employment branding initiatives.  Since becoming a “Racker,” Michael launched RackerTalent.com and has brought together internal bloggers from five continents to share the authentic culture of the organization.

Michael is a graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in International Relations. He has lived multiple years abroad in both Guatemala and Argentina. In his spare time, Michael enjoys guitar, photography and exploring the social web.

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