MarCom Professional

Several weeks ago I led a panel discussion at the The 2008 Milken Institute Global Conference. The Milken event "brought together some of the most extraordinary people in the world - from scientists, business executives and philanthropists to journalists, academics and Nobel laureates - for three days of discussions on how to solve some of our most pressing social, political and economic challenges."

My panel was called The Changing Rules of PR and Corporate Influence in the Digital Age and included the following panelists:
- Jason Calacanis, Founder and CEO, Mahalo.com
- Hope Boonshaft, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Hill & Knowlton
- Steven Rubenstein, President, Rubenstein Communications Inc.
Moderator: David Meerman Scott (that would be me)

It was an awesome panel with lots of spirited debate and controversy. You can listen to a recording via a link on the panel page or by going here to get a direct link.

In an article that appeared on CNET called The future of business is social: notes from the Milken Global Conference, Tim Leberecht said panelist Jason Calacanis, was "in-character as enfant terrible, thrived in the devilish charm of the futurist, joyfully exposed the insecurity of his audience."

Some things that were discussed:
- "Is PR dead?"
- "Should our CEO blog?"
- "How do I stay in control of my brand if our CEO gets critical comments to his blog posts?"

My only regret was my role as moderator. In order to let the panelists express their opinions, I focused on being a traffic cop (it was tough at some points with so many strong opinions!) so my own thoughts weren't aired.

If you've got a free hour, this is worth a listen.

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