Interesting thoughts. I suspect I have the same relationship as you to conferences that I attend for work purposes -- that I'm attending for ideas and inspiration rather than networking. And I certainly get those creative aspects out of fannish cons (and to be fair FogCon is the only one I've ever attended, so I have no basis for comparison), but I'd like to get more socialization out of them, too. If nothing else, it would take less social energy if I didn't feel like I was starting from scratch each time.

I almost never stay in touch with work colleagues after I leave a job, either, and I wonder if some similar dynamic is going on here for me, too: compartmentalization of people based on when and where I meet them.