Speakers beware:
Bloggers can find you out!
A Newsweek Web-only article about the PC Forum has an interesting write up by technology reporter Steven Levy. Levy writes that when Joe Nacchio, the CEO of Qwest, was complaining about the difficulty of the telecom business, Doc Searls got an e-mail from a friend of his about how many millions Nacchio had made from selling Qwest stock. Searls posted an item on his Weblog that included to link that detailed the tens of millions that Nacchio realized. "Nobdy likes Qwest's Joe Nacchio," Searls wrote.
Dan Gillmor of the San Jose Mercury News also posted an item on his Weblog. Gillmor wrote how Nacchio was "whining" and "took gazillions out of the company...."
Weblogs + wireless = Power
This is getting to be serious stuff. Granted, relatively few people are doing real-time Weblogs at conferences. But some very good journalists are. Doc Searls is senior editor of Linux Journal. Dan Gillmor is one of the most respected computer columnists in the country. Glenn Fleishman, a freelance technology writer, a Mac columnist for The Seattle Times and writer of the superb 802.11b Networking News Weblog, also covers conferences in his Weblog (though he didn't attend the PC Forum).
When journalists (or anyone else, for that matter) can post comments as a speaker is still speaking, then receive e-mails about the postings, and immediately update that posting, there is power. We're still in the very early days of this. But WiFi coverage is growing. It will grow even faster as the result of Boingo Wireless and VoiceStream's purchase of MobileStar.
We are entering new territory for journalists and for speakers. Smart people will understand the power and use it. Morons will ignore it.
9:10:33 PM 
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