Webmasterworld CEO Brett Tabke is no stranger to building online communities. He began running BBSs back in 1984, and has grown his website from a small service at the end of a 300 baud modem to a mega-site that often exceeds one million page views a day. Brett took the time to chat with Mike McDonald of WebProNews at PubCon last week, letting us in on what may be on tap for future conventions.

Brett noted in the interview that PubCon keynotes and sessions have been indicative of the influx of new services (Digg, Technorati, etc.) into the search and social media landscape. As PubCon continues to serve as a confluence of relevant information and networking, Brett asserts the convention’s interest in the growing platform of social media and how it plays an increasingly pivotal role in search marketing. But while social media is on the rise, Brett stays true to his first love of Internet forums, and doesn’t believe they will become extinct anytime soon.