• by Rob Griffin , October 26, 2011

Here we are about a month out from the winter Search Insider Summit, and I find myself thinking about what we will discuss at the event.  If you have not been to an SIS event, I highly encourage you to attend.  It’s an intimate group that gets together twice a year with a mix of about 50/50 between regulars and newcomers that lends a fun tone to the presentations and conversations.  The winter event is quite near and dear to my heart, if for no other reason than it kicks off my ski season in Deer Valley, but back to the point of the article.

As I think about the topics that will get covered, I'm reminded of all the big changes and trends in the space that keep us up at night and also get us excited to get up and go to work in the morning.

Here are some topics that are top of mind for me these days: 

-       The search demise of Yahoo -- and what will happen to their search syndication business?

-       How will we ever get SEO/SEM integrated reporting right?  Everyone wants it, but no one is doing it right.

-       What does the rise of app-based and mobile search really mean to our campaigns?

-       I see local as the next battle ground in search -- but  what form will it take?

-       Understanding the true impact of personalized and dynamic search.

-       Did personalized search kill accurate SEO?

-       Can the new version of DARTsearch, DS3, deliver and help them gain back lost market share against Kenshoo and Marin?

-       Can anyone stop Facebook -- and will they remain the industry bad guy in 2012?

-       Why don’t more people get Twitter?

-       Why does search have to live within “performance” teams?

-       Will Bing ever really get it right? I keep trying it, but for most searches I have to go back to Google.

-       Will Baidu ever be friendly to western SEMs?

-       MC Hammer has no business in the search business.  He couldn’t even articulate analytics well.  Check the video of him discussing analytics --priceless!

Well, there you have it, a stream of search consciousness.  There are more topics, of course, but I find these items the ones I enjoy discussing and debating the most.  As the agenda for the summit gets constructed I know many, if not all of these, will get discussed, plus a few more I’m sure. 

So book your travel now and check the SIS site regularly for agenda and speaker updates.  I would also encourage everyone to reach out with suggestions and ideas.  Make this your event. And while I can’t rap like my fellow Insider, Aaron Goldman, I am making this my coming-out party as MC of the event. So if you didn’t have enough reasons to attend, this should put you over the top.  How can you pass up boyish good looks and charm?