Today I attended a blogging conference sponsored by the communications school of the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) of Herzliyah. It was called: Blogference.Though I’ve never been to a blogging conference in the States, I can only assume that these are the top ten ways a blogging conference is different in Israel than in my motherland:

10. Cheesy puns (i.e., blogference)

9. Every session requiring the use of simple technology (a laptop and PowerPoint, nevermind internet) starts 15 minutes late.

8. “Is this session in English or Hebrew?”

7. Free coffee, tea and sesame biscuits.

6. Sessions with Live Talkback (so the audience can comment on the speakers rudely but anonymously; an improvement for Israelis, who comment loudly and unabashedly).

5. Israeli bloggers.

4. Israeli geeks.

3. An F-16 flying overhead, freaking out the American guest speakers.

2. Israelis dressed up as Americans dressed down.

1. Americans get t-shirts as swag at conferences and wear them for the rest of the conference (and then they get thrown in the back of the closet). Israelis get t-shirts at conferences and wear them the next day at work (and as part of their permanent work wardrobe).

Dressed-down American – look familiar?

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