Edelman in the States have come in for a good deal of criticism recently for their handling, or mis-handling, of blogging activity most notably with Wal Mart and Microsoft. In a nut-shell they stand accused of flogging (fake blogging just in case you could not guess) and bribery, they sent out free PCs to influential bloggers who were under no compulsion to give them back.
Edelmans in the UK distances themselves from the American activity, but they point out that while mistakes may have been made, the fact remains that they are genuinely attempting to navigate this new world of digital influencers where the rules of engagement are still being written.
Anyway they hosted a breakfast Q&A session this morning with Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine and the brilliant Hugh MacLeod from Gaping Void. I enjoy Jeff's blog a lot, I think it's both thoughtful and thought provoking. So I was looking forward to meeting him in person and in person he was exactly the same as his blog, which was a relief.
You can see the whole session which has just been uploaded to YouTube this afternoon.
Some interesting stuff - 3 nuggets:
1. Although the "old media" is in decline, it's Jeff's view that "new media" has not yet reached anywhere like the levels of maturity that it needs to before it can truly take its place. It is certainly not at the point where anymore than 100 people can actually make a living out of blogging.
2. It's important for bloggers to create bridges by fishing outside their usual blog pool (excuse the mixed metaphors) Harvard's Global Voices projects being a good example of that in practise.
3. Video is the next exciting frontier. Look at the way that YouTube is changing the way that the American and French presidential elections are being conducted and the beta version of Blip.TV
Thanks to David Brain (great name) who hosted. He has a smart blog, Sixty Second View, which is well worth spending some time on.
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