Update: Gabe commented on this post, confirming Dave’s mention that he’s a good dude… just a misinterpretation of a look.
What do you do? It’s been a tough question for me to answer as it’s been four years since I’ve had just “one job.” During my Bay Area Trip, I visited Lunch 2.0 and although it was great, I had a funny/odd encounter to wrap up the event.
Above is a Flickr photo of me sitting next to Techmeme‘s founder, Gabe Rivera. I didn’t know who he was even though he spoke at SXSW and Rob heard him speak (and liked what he said)… but I didn’t attend that panel.
So let me set the stage. Lunch 2.0 is winding down and I’m sitting across from Dave McClure. I go get something to drink and another guy (Gabe) is now sitting across from Dave. I sit down amid their conversation and I realize this guy’s name is Gabe. A few minutes later, there’s some silence, so I extend my hand…
Todd: Hey, I’m Todd.
Gabe: Hey.
Todd: So Gabe, what do you do?
Gabe: I run a web site.
Todd: Cool, which site is that?
Gabe: (glaring at me like I’m beyond stupid) Uhh, it’s called Techmeme.com.
Todd: (impressed he runs Techmeme, but shocked he thinks I should know him) Ohh… I know your site, nice work.
I met some really cool people at Lunch 2.0, but after that conversation, I realized it was time to head out. So, maybe Gabe’s not a social butterfly or he was having a bad day. Luckily, I didn’t have that experience with anyone else. Next time, I’ll ask a few more questions to be sure the first impression was accurate. start with a better question like… If you run a popular web site, blog, vlog, twitter app, or were a child tv star, I’m sorry I don’t know you, but what do you do?
