The conference to which my tiny, content-free post referred was a get-together of Big Co marketing communication VPs. I was on a panel on blogging with Rebecca Blood, Alan Nelson of CommandPost (who chaired it), and John Hinderaker of Powerline. This panel was the first time in the group’s history that they’ve allowed any proceedings to be on the record.

The discussion went well. Rebecca explained what blogs are and aren’t. John gave examples — e.g., Rathergate — of how blogs have beat the mainstream media at their own game. I tried to preempt some of the obvious marketers’ misunderstandings by saying that it’s a mistake to think that only the high-traffic blogs count, that blogs are conversations, and that trying to manipulate weblog conversations is a very bad idea.

I’m not doing the session justice, of course, but it seemed to go well. And it was great to be on a panel with those folks. [Technorati tags: RebeccaBlood Powerline]

I don’t know what sort of schmuck leaves his computer behind when he heads for the airport but — oh, yeah, now I remember: It’s a schmuck exactly like me. But Mara, the woman driving Rebecca, Alan and me to the airport, stuck with me for 15 minutes, tracking down my computer and then arranging for a competitive car service to bring it to me on their next next trip out.

Thank you, Mara, of Dolphin Transportation in Naples, Florida. She saved my veggie bacon and was incredibly sweet about it. She wouldn’t even let me tip her. If you need a car service in Naples, you can reach Dolphin at (239) 530 0100.

Categories: blogs dw