Looking For Generation Google Panelists

At our SMX West conference later this month in California, we have a special session I’m really looking forward to: Generation Google: A Talk With Today’s Teens. I thought it would be fun to let the audience ask some teenagers about how they use search engines and what they think of the search space in general. I’ve got three teens lined up, and I’m looking for a few more. Want to help? Suggest some teens for the panel! More about how, below.

First, let me tell you about the people already involved.

Some readers might recall our Forget Chores For Pocket Money — Teen Makes $900 Per Month Doing SEO post from last year. It talked about how Chloe Spencer was earning from her blog through AdSense, rather than flipping burgers. If her name sounds familiar, that’s because her father, Stephan Spencer, is well known in the search marketing space. Chloe was a hit when she talked at BlogHer last year, and I’m thrilled we have her part of our panel at SMX.

Rand Fishkin is another well known search marketer, but he’s not an only child. His brother Evan Fishkin is on the panel. Joining Evan is Harrison Gervirtz, a fifteen year-old affiliate marketer.

Chloe, Evan, and Harrison are far from typical, all having connections to the search industry in some ways. That didn’t bother me, in that it’s hard to find "typical" people of any type, and all of them certainly know the attitudes and activities of friends who aren’t in the search space.

Still, I’d like to add two or three more teens to the panel. If you know of someone willing, please drop me a note through this form. I need people who are between 13-18. Local teens are probably best, since we’re not covering travel. They’ll get a day pass to the show, which includes lunch, snacks during breaks, and 75 minutes of fame on stage. The format is easy: just sit and response to questions from the audience. No presentations; no wrong answers.

The show runs from Feb. 26-28 in Santa Clara, with the panel itself happening on Feb. 28, from 10:45am to noon. More details about the event can be found at the SMX West web site.