I speak at a lot of conferences – I’m basically happy to give a speech or sit on a panel if I’m in the town when the conference is happening (I don’t want to have to travel to speak since I travel all the time, but if it’s convenient, I do it), have time, and feel I have something to add on the topic in question.  I generally do this for the intrinsic satisfaction of participating and whatever intangible second order effects result (e.g. who the hell knows why I really do this, other than I enjoy it.)  Yeah – I’m a panel whore.

While I usually get a live thank you in real time, I’ll occasionally get a handwritten thank you note after the fact (very nice – the people who do this should be pleased that their mothers’ trained them well.)  Sometimes I get a token of appreciation in the useless gift category (a pen with a sponsors name on it, some little plaque, or some other left over schwag.)

I spoke at Metzger Associates First Annual New Media Summit last night.  The intrinsic benefit factor was high (the panel was fun, it was a good audience, it was local, Amy came and cheered me on, and I got to go out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants (The Kitchen) with Amy afterwards since we were in Boulder.)  This morning, an unexpected surprise showed up in my inbox – an Amazon gift certificate for $50 with a thank you.  Of all the things I’ve gotten for being a presenter or panelist, I think this one is the most useful.  It caused me to stop, smile, think happy thoughts about Metzger, appreciate that this is actually a functionally useful thank you gift, and then feel inspired to blog about it.

When someone gives you their time for free, it’s easy to thank them, but it’s rare that people think creatively about how to show appreciation.  Metzger did a great (and relatively inexpensive) job of that – Seth Godin would be proud of them. 

If you happen to be in Boulder tonight, Metzger Associates is putting on a “New Media Summit” tonight at The City Club (885 Arapahoe) from 4pm to 7pm.  It’ll be a panel – moderated by Matt Branaugh (the Boulder Daily Camera Business Editor) and features:

• Me
• Doyle Albee: Metzger Associates New Media practice director
• Howard Kaushansky: founder of Umbria, a company setting new standards for monitoring online consumer intelligence
• Joe Pezzillo: founder of one of the nation’s first Internet radio stations, GoGaGa.com and former creative director of Apple’s Electronic Media Lab.

There are still a few seats left – it’s a limited group so if you are around and interested, contact Julie Ludwig at Metzger by email or call her at 303 786 7000 to RSVP.  The cost is $25 and you’ll end up being well fed (and probably entertained.)

There are two conferences going on today – We Media and Web 2.0.  Both are sold out, have great speakers, and have generated lots of “pre-conference” buzz (whatever that means.)

They are radically difference conferences addressing the same thing from two totally different perspectives.  The schedules and the agendas tell the complete story.  We Media – all media, all day long – in New York.  Web 2.0 – all tech, for a couple of days – in San Francisco.

Ten years later, the bifurcation on the Internet between tech and media seems as big as ever.  I wonder which party is going to be more fun (actually, I don’t, but it was a good closing line.)

I’m speaking at the We Media Conference in New York on October 5.  We Media is being sponsored by The Media Center, is being held at The Associated Press headquarters, and Al Gore is giving the keynote.