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I’m one day home from Inman Connect San Francisco. It was an amazing experience, and I wanted to document a few random thoughts and observations before the memories fade. Here they are, in no particular order:

• Intuitively, I already knew this, but living it was the proof: Social Media works…period. I met a number of people face-to-face for the first time who I’ve been communicating with via Twitter for a while. And in every case, the feeling was the same: it was like meeting an old, good friend…for the first time. When I expected handshakes, I got hugs. In the end, the feeling for me was “Wow, the time I’ve invested in Social Media is really, really, REALLY worth it.”
• Thank you, Inman News (@InmanNews) for inviting me to speak about Twitter. It was truly an honor and a privilege that I’ll never forget and which I will always treasure.
• My co-panelists were Alex Chang (@AlexChangSF) and Rainy Hake. Alex is the CEO of Roost and Rainy has an MBA from Oxford. Smart people rock.
• I got to meet Reggicole. You probably know them as Reggie and Nicole Nicolay. Or @ReggieRPR and @Nik_Nik. These two are truly larger than life. I also met their partner Chad Johson (@chadajohnson), who is an equally awesome dude. We socialized at a cool place called Swig. The photo below captures the spirit of the evening, which I can only describe as “re-donk-u-lous.” If anyone is going to take over the planet using Social Media, it’s the dynamo below (the one in the middle, in case you weren’t sure). (Photo courtesy of Chad Johnson of MyTechOpinion.com.)
  
  

• Jay Thompson (@phxREguy) is a one-of-a-kind, totally original individual. It was cool to meet this man who has done such an extraordinary job of creating a reputation and a profile via his outstanding uses of Social Media and blogging.
• Tara Christianson (@TaraLeaC) and Meliss DelGaudio (@startabuzz) are two incredibly sharp, smart, dynamic, engaging, fun and funny women. I lump them together because they appear inseparable. It has been a very long time since I ran into such cool people.
• Melissa introduced me to Joshua Darnell (@joshuadarnell). This kid has done more at 35 than I’ll do at 90. Mathematics…Cal Berkeley…(sort of like a real life Good Will Hunting). He invited me to visit him in Tokyo. In two years. When he moves there. He was beyond fascinating.
• Our company was named a “Brokerage of the Future” by Better Homes & Gardens. We are honored to be included on this list, and I’d like to personally thank BH&G CEO Sherry Chris (@bhgre_sherry) and VP of Broker Services Wendy Forsythe (@bhgre_wendy) for sponsoring #ICSF and for moderating my panel, respectively. You did an amazing job, ladies!
  
  
• I got to meet one of my heroes, Marc Davison (@1000WattMarc) of 1000Watt Consulting.  When it comes to smart people who see the future of real estate, I cannot think of anyone who had more credibility than this guy. I was humbled to meet you, good sir.
• The event itself was fantastic. There was a vibrancy and an electricity that permeated the Hilton Union Square. I was not expecting that, and it was cool.
• I attended a penthouse party sponsored by Trulia. I met Trulia’s Social Media Guru Rudy Bachraty (@Trulia), who is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. He was extraordinarily generous with his time and attention.
• Speaking of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, they don’t come any finer than Loren Sanders (@LorenSan). Loren is one of my favorite people on Twitter, and it was a pleasure to finally meet this man and spend some quality time with him. A legitimate stand-up guy, indeed.
• I had a great lunch with my partner Todd Waller (@ToddWaller), Loren and Daniel Rothamel (@realestatezebra). Daniel schooled me on Agent Reboot, which he’s doing at various places around the country with Nicole Nicolay, and I got to see his amazing techni-logo dreamcoat up close and personal.
• Dale Chumbley (@DaleChumbley) gave a great presentation about his “365 Things to Do in Vancouver, WA” blog concept. I learned a lot from that presentation. I then ran into Dale at the Trulia party, and he proved to be as generous with his time and his knowledge as he is smart and savvy with his approach to building his business. My hat is off to you, Dale.
• I attended a cool broker meetup moderated by the aforementioned Mr. Davison. I learned a lot from my peers and was particularly impressed by Matt Dollinger (@MattDollinger). That kid is wicked smart.
• I got to meet Chris Nichols (@utahREpro) and Bob Watson (@TopBrokerOC), but unfortunately we didn’t get to spend enough time together. Hoping for more opportunity next time!
• Truly, I left my <3 in San Francisco…

In summary, the trek west was well worth the time and money. I would implore anyone who is thinking about attending an Inman Connect event to give it serious consideration. I’m already counting the days to the next one!