So, one of the things that is explicit for me in planning IDEA is that I *don’t* want the usual suspects speaking. I’m feeling particularly good about this as I look over at the latest cause of conference buzz, Aula.
The main public event features Clay Shirky, Joichi Ito, and the follow on private event includes Dan Gillmor and Dan Hill (also speaking at IDEA) and danah boyd and Adam Greenfield and Matt Jones and Timo Arnall and Justin Hall and Cory Doctorow and Ross Mayfield and all I can wonder is, “Don’t you all know what you’re going to say already?” I’m getting increasingly frustrated in these events (Etech is guilty of this, too) where it’s the same old people singing much of the same old song.
Why aren’t things getting shaken up more? Or are these just excuses for friends to hang out fabulously in public?