The Best Conference Hack | Hacker News Reader

The Best Conference Hack

medium.com

47 pointsclayhebert20 comments

Between this and the "productivity hack" post today, are we now calling simple suggestions "hacks"? This is a good suggestion, sure, but nothing is being manipulated in any original manner.

I've already gone on this rant, maybe more than once. I'm almost at the point of thinking of "hack" as a standalone word to be a negative indicator of signal.

> I'm almost at the point of thinking of "hack" as a standalone word to be a negative indicator of signal.

Cool English hack!

This is essentially stats from classroom etiquette. Those who sit in the front tend to do better, and therefore those who you meet at the front of the class tend to be better students. Although not really a 'hack,' it is cool to see the application.

I agree that it's not complex. It's a pretty simple thing that I've done that has given me good results. Maybe what it lacks in complexity or difficulty it makes up for in cost / benefit?

Well everyone calls himself a hacker just for being tech-savvy these days. The word has long lost its true meaning.

Oh well, the whole hack/hacking/hacker terminology has been absolute and totally corrupted to oblivion already anyway. I mean, this site is called Hacker News and we come here to read about where to sit in a conference room.

I usually try to sit near the back: - I can see the audience, and who I want to network with - I can leave if the talk isn't appropriate for me - you're last to be "called on" and can choose your answer wisely - if you do want to participate, you can usually move closer-- but once you're close, it's hard to move back. - there are other, more powerful ways to indicate that you're hungry, smart, aggressive, etc.

Sitting in the back directly contributed to my first $MM: I said something pithy and then networked with the perfect two people, who I then brought into a deal that later IPO'd.

Pretty much, the only time I want to be in front, is the line to leave a burning building (or failing company).

It's interesting observing behavior at math conferences. Typically the bigshots sit either in the very front or the very back.

I also recommend Keith Johnstone's book Impro ("Impro" being the British word for what is called "improv" in the US), especially the section on status. You can learn to deliberately play low or high status, i.e. act like you're important or not, and see how people treat you differently. Really the same hack in a broader context.

Interesting. I'll check that book out. Thanks.

Typically the bigshots sit either in the very front or the very back.

Interesting. I guess the high-status behavior in the front is, "I need to pay close attention to pick apart this nonsense".

The high-status behavior in the back is, "I'm so important I will have better things to do very soon, so I want to be polite when I leave early".

Close, but more like:

The people in front want to interrupt and ask lots of questions. (It won't be nonsense, because the speakers will have been pre-vetted. If everyone decides the talk sucks, then they will just be quiet.)

The people in back will stick around for the whole talk, but might have brought something else to read or do. My postdoctoral advisor Kannan Soundararajan brought other work, and never visibly appeared to be paying attention to any of the talks, except when I talked to him afterwards and it was obvious he had understood much better than I had!

Keep your hands off your cell phone, stop tweeting/chatting/browsing and pay attention. That's another wolderful 'hack'...

I work in the conference industry, and thus usually attend about 25-30 difference conferences each year. The cell phone/tablet/laptop thing boggles my mind. No matter what the subject matter there always seem to be a group of people that are just dicking around on facebook in the back of the room.

Some of the conferences we handle have crazy high registration fees. Why would you pay the massive fee to attend, then show up and not listen to the presentation? Just walk out if you're not digging the talk!

Agree completely.

Yup.

Great tip. In return here's a great writing hack for you - stop calling everything a hack when it's just advice.

I think this is very good advice, and I will remember that in the future, even as I wish that in classes I had sat near the front.

Regardless, I think we need to admit that Adria Richards has one of the best conference hacks of all time! One of the best conference hacks of all time!

why is this comment made hard to read? Was it not well received and this is how HN handles this?

Yes. Downvoted comments get grayed out.

I am not sure why someone downvoted that comment, though.

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