I attended web 2.0 last week. In general, the conference was good. I thought Steve Ballmer had a good tone and conversation with John Battelle --you can read more about Steve’s conversation from Don Dodge.Overall, the sessions were both entertaining and thought provoking but I didn’t really learn/hear anything new. This may be an indication that the current web 2.0 wave is cresting. Note, I believe there is a bigger wave right behind it, so I am not saying the end is near.

Typically, the best conversations are in the hallways, over dinner or at an after party. This conference was no exception. Although, I had several great conversations, the two that stick out are with Benjamin Ogden, CEO of Thoughts.com and Zachery Keplinger Coelius, CEO of Triggit.

Ben was very passionate about his company (as are all entrepreneurs); however, the difference was Ben’s passion was focused on helping people and giving back to society as a whole. I am not sure where Thoughts.com will take Ben, but it has already changed people’s life in a positive way … thus, I would say Ben has been successful at Thoughts.com. I wish him well in scaling his venture and changing the world in a positive way.

I met Zach at the bar and then we joined some others for a “mildly indulgent” (Zach’s words) dinner at Roy’s in SF. The conversations with Zach were extremely interesting. The more you got to know him, the more you had to like him. First of all, he just shows up at conferences (doesn’t pay to attend…crashes them).And he doesn’t stand in the shadows either, he goes right for the limelight (check out this article published in the Washington Post).I am a believer that one makes his own luck in this world and Zach is the perfect embodiment of this. I am not sure if Triggit will be Zach’s big ticket, but it is clear to me that he is greatness waiting to happen. I’d keep an eye on this young entrepreneur and if you are a VC, I suggest getting in early! Look for Zach at other conferences … he’ll be the one without a name badge.