Here we go!
I can finally tell you about an exciting phone call I had last Wednesday, and the incredible days since then that my family and I have spent in San Francisco.
It's been a trip I can tell you, and very hard to keep quiet.
It apparently started when Google noticed my OurLittleNet network of 1600+ city community web sites back in January. I had asked them a few questions about the page ranking of a few cities, and whether I was being penalized by them. I wasn't, of course.
A week later I was approached by a Marketing VP asking questions about my business model and the company structure, which was midly amusing. I had to sign an NDA at this point.
Nothing much happened, and I was excited that OurLittleNet might have a new home and some money to expand across the country/world as I had always envisaged. But last week it got even better than that.
It appears that web site creation with CMS technology is an interesting subject to Google - I'm guessing that the easier they make it for people to publish content to the web, the better they can make the internet. What holds good for most web sites - more content the better - holds double for search engines. More content gives them greater chance of relevant search results.
On Friday we flew out to San Francisco and were given "the tour"; it's amazing. Mind-blowing when you've been working from home for a few years and only talking to friends on email/im!
Since then, Tara and the kids have been touring the area and being shown a good time by some very nice people here. I've been discussing the future, and today I was allowed to blog about it and tell my friends who so far have no idea all this is going on.
Over the next few months a lot will change. We'll be moving of course, and I'll be in charge of taking OurLittleNet and the Dozing Dogs CMS to new owners and new heights. Stay tuned and come along for the ride!
P.S. The best thing? Now I finally don't need Scoble to link to me.