All Blogged Up

The phenomenon of the blog (an online journal) has affected American politics, business and culture, and, of course, the meetings industry. A “blogosphere” (a giant community of blogs) devoted to trade shows, associations and corporate meeting planning is flourishing on the web, with an expanding universe of writers expounding on everything from industry association meetings to the demise of tech events.
    At the new “Xtreme ASAE Blog”  (blogs.centeronline.org/XtremeASAEblog), members of the American Society of Association Executives sound off on many subjects, including ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership’s new brand identity. “Looks a bit cartoonish,” exclaims one member, complaining that too much space in the new logo is given to the Center. “It looks snazzy,” chimes in another member.
    Other popular meetings blogs include the Trade Show Marketing Institute’s “Trade Show Marketing Report” (tsmi.blogs.com/tsmiblog) and “Tradeshow Startup” (www.TradeshowStartup.com), written by Tim Borquin, founder/president of TNC New Media in Laguna Niguel, Calif., who is creating a new for-profit exhibition called the Portable Media Expo.
    Then there’s “View from a Corner Office,” a blog affiliated with the Association Forum of Chicagoland and written by the anonymous CEO of a small association, whose secret identity allows unabashed honesty. A recent post noted, “truth is, all convention centers look alike, worldwide. You may be in a European country, but you may as well be on the moon. Our life always appears far more glamorous than it actually is.”