Meet SourceCon Keynote Speaker Chris Sherman of @sengineland

Editor’s note: the Meet the Speakers series is designed to introduce the SourceCon audience to the speakers who will be presenting at SourceCon Atlanta in February.

Tell us about your background and what you do currently.

I’ve been following the world of search for the past 15 years, with founding roles in such sites as Search Engine Land, Marketing Land, the SMX series of conferences, working as an analyst for IDC and others. I’m currently VP of Event Programming for Third Door Media, which really means that I organize most of the SMX conferences worldwide. I still work closely with our editorial staff at Search Engine Land and Marketing Land, so I’m fortunate to be able to keep my virtual finger on the pulse of new developments in this breakneck world of online discovery and marketing.

Tell us about the presentation you have planned for SourceCon. What takeaways should attendees expect?

Lots of info about both the strategic and tactical trends happening in search, as well as a lot of pointers for some of the best resources I’ve found for finding information on the web – and how to really dive deep and get the most from them.

Why would it be unwise for someone to miss your session?

Most people think that searching the web is easy – just punch a few keywords into Google, pull the lever, and then voila! A payoff like a Vegas slot machine. While that’s true for many types of searches, if you’re looking for more nuanced or more obscure types of information, there are dozens of far better choices than Google – not only in what they reveal, but in the amount of time you’ll save by using them. Miss this session and you’ll miss out on these gems.

Tell us something interesting about yourself that has nothing to do with what you do professionally.

As an undergraduate, I studied with Ansel Adams apprentice. I was totally engrossed with analog photography (meaning I had to go into a darkroom, mix chemicals, and understand the physics of light and how they were expressed through a chemical/mechanical process). I still do photography, but today my 14 year old daughter can run circles around me with Photoshop… 🙂

What is your favorite social network? Why?

My local “Next Door” network – a closed network open only to residents of our immediate neighborhood. It’s a great way to keep up with what’s happening with the neighbors – and to pitch in when someone nearby needs help. It’s a completely different experience than the big global social networks – much more personal and in many ways more satisfying to participate in. For the big ones: Twitter. A great discovery/curation tool – a way to find stuff I’d never be able to by just searching on my own.

We will be doing a live Google Plus Hangout ON AIR with Chris this Thursday at Noon CST. Please RSVP here and plan to join us. The event can be viewed with a computer or mobile device on Google+ or Youtube.