Update: Max Kelehoff provides his rationale
"Today, I am off to Nielsen BuzzMetrics' clients-only CGM Summit 2006. The agenda is cram packed with sessions covering all aspects of Consumer Generated Media (CGM) including an overview of where we are today, why people do this stuff, where CGM is going in the future, and how exactly marketers can leverage and measure this powerful channel. Ironically, the confirmation email I received for the event includes this warning:
"Off The Record: the CGM Summit is off the record, so please no blogging, reporting, recording or broadcasting."
Now after recently going to a Forrester conference where blogging was encouraged, this puzzles me. I'm assuming that they have a good reason, but as Greg states in his post:
"So how can you host an event about consumer generated media and not let your consumers, um, generate media?"
It is a valid question I think. How is it that a fairly conservative entity like Forrester can open themselves up but Nielsen BuzzMetrics won't? Again, there might be a good reason, but this is a fair question. When I invited bloggers to the Digitas Blog's Eye View conference I explained to our PR people that they could not control what would be said in the blogosphere. And it was a bold move having our employees mix it up with bloggers from all different walks of life.
And not everyone is going to say wonderful things about you. Noah Brier was one of the bloggers in attendance and respectfully challenged my vision of "Influence Ripples". He brings some good food for thought to the table and I personally see value in this.
So again, there may be a very good reason behind their move to keep the event off the record—but I personally think the question that Greg raises is worth asking.
