I just finished reading a bunch of weblogs from people that I met at SXSW. They have been going for so many years that the conference is just a footnote in their lives now. They don’t seem to be dealing with the stomach crushing loneliness.

Maybe it’s because they live in San Francisco, where Web 2.0 is growing in hype a lot more than substance.

Maybe it’s because they have gone for so many years that they are jaded.

Maybe it’s because they aren’t Drama Queens.

Whatever…

I just am feeling lonely here in Salt Lake. I felt a little better when I made a list of the smartest and most engaging friends that we know here in the city. I feel a little better each time we go to dinner or lunch with people on my list. The only times this really hits me is when I realize how few people I saw while I was in SXSW. There were so many great people I could have met that I missed in the hallways.

Maybe it isn’t loneliness. Maybe it’s regret.

I regret going to bed early. I regret not talking to more people in the hallways. I regret not going out to lunch with more people. I regret not going to any of the parties.

I was bright and chipper for the panels, but I didn’t meet and get to know nearly as many people as I wanted to.

Well, next year, they’ll be no sleep. I’ll just keep meeting people all day and all night. They’ll be no stopping me because this regret sucks.