First, an enthusiastic thanks for what I thought was an outstanding event! I appreciate the invite to participate, and I can assure you I was stimulated and energized by the content. I thought Micah Sifry (”this is fundamentally about ‘Power’”) and Yvonne DiVita (highlighting the critical, often overlooked role of everyday women in the blogging revolution) were particularly insightful. One key issue that probably deserved more attention in you next event revolves around blogging and word-of-mouth ethics.

During my panel presentation, I introduced a new framework for making a key distinction between the type of Word-of-Mouth Ed Keller talked about in his key note, which I call “Intimate Word of Mouth,” versus an equally powerful (and potentially more pervasive) form of Word-of-Mouth (fueled in large measure by the explosion of blogs) known as “Incidental Word of Mouth.” I attempted to provide more clarity on this concept in an entry on my ConsumerGeneratedMedia.com blog today. Blogs, while linked together through social networks, are having their biggest impact in an indirect manner, especially vis-a-vis search, and this is a point often lost on large companies and brands. I certainly welcome comments, criticism, or pushback. - Pete Blackshaw

Categories: User Generated Content, Word of Mouth, Speakers