I posted last week about the upcoming SearchFest '07 event in Portland, Oregon that's being sponsored by SEMpdx. In order to gear up for the event, the group has been posting some "mini-interviews" of some of the scheduled speakers on their blog. If you are planning on attending, it's a great way to familiarize yourself with the speakers that you might want to catch. If you're not attending, it's still an interesting chance to get some words of wisdom from some of the respected names in the industry.

A few of the speakers that have been interviewed so far:

Stoney deGeyter of Pole Position Marketing

Long tail keywords are such an important part of an effective SEO strategy, just are the short-tail (core) keywords. The great thing about a balanced keyword research approach that I’ll be presenting on is it teaches people how to go after long-tail and short-tail keywords simultaneously. Long tail keywords can get ranked much quicker and start producing quality traffic and sales, but the great thing is that, when implemented properly, they also provide the foundational work that paves the way for the short-tail keywords to perform as well.

Matt McGee of Marchex and Small Business SEM Blog

Mobile search is still more hype than reality right now. Based on most studies, the U.S. has the lowest mobile penetration rates of any major country. The numbers suggest that most heavy mobile users are youth, and their prime activity is text messaging, not search. I think many in our industry talk about it because we tend to be early adopters. But the reality is that if you stand outside your local Best Buy, out of every 100 people walking in the store, I’d bet only 2-3 have the equipment and desire to use their phone for comparison shopping.

Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz