One thing is for sure.  I am not a conference person.  I generally don't go to conferences unless I am a speaker.  While I like visiting exhibits to see what people think they are doing, I prefer reading online to sitting in a room full of people and listening to canned speeches and staring at pretty slides.  I also don't like debates where arguments are mostly rehash of what has already been talked to death on mailing lists.  I do enjoy meeting old pals and new people in person but, most of the time, there is just no time to talk with them extensively at conferences.

Before Internet, I went to conferences get information and software not generally available.  But now, material given out at conferences are usually made available online.  There are even live transcripts of sessions.  At large conferences, I can't possibly sit in on all the tracks.  Online, I can scan through it all.  Furthermore, most conferences are non-conclusive.  What was the result of last Digital Identity conference other than a short flood of digital identify discussions and news online?  What about the last Supernova conference (sorry, Kevin)?  JavaOne?  XML conferences?

I obviously have a huge blindspot when it comes to conferences because people are still going to conferences, even those that costs thousands of dollars in registration, hotel, and airfare.  Reality can't be argued with.  Still, I need someone to tell me "For THIS and THAT, I am willing to pay $2000 and three days of my time because I can't get it elsewhere."  I can then smack my forehead and say "Ah Ha!"

Is it the magic of F2F or solid handshakes?  Is it the parties afterward and the Marilyn Monroe impersonator?  Is it the joy of hobnobbing on company's expense?   What ever it is, it must be something that current crop of social software, blogging, IM, ICQ, IRC, discussion forums, and mailing lists fails to address.

Well?