eComm 2009 - Euro Edition - October 28-30

If you follow my blog, you know I was pretty involved with eComm earlier this year, which was held in San Francisco. Building on the momentum from that show, Lee has developed a European-focused edition, and is coming up later this month in Amsterdam.

I've been meaning to do a shout-out for Lee for a while, and it's fortuitous that I'm doing this now. They've just finalized the speaking program, so you should rush over to the eComm site now to see what's on tap.

As you'll see, it's the same format as before - rapid fire, short presentations/talks by an absurdly long list of very connected people who will give you 100 perspectives on how telecom is evolving. Lee favors eclectic and disruptive over tried and true, so most of the speakers will not be household names. However, you won't find a better mix of leading edge ideas and people anywhere, and that's really the value proposition Lee has carved out for eComm.

It's impossible to absorb everything at eComm, so in a way, it's just like the Internet. However, eComm isn't free, but the quality of experience is infinitely better, and you will absolutely come away with at least a few inspirational big ideas as well as meet some really interesting people from both inside and outside telecom. The show has healthy presence in terms of event and media sponsors, and it's great to see eComm getting continued support in these critical areas. The other critical area, of course, is attendance, and I sure hope it draws well. It's a very Euro-centric lineup, and I'm quite certain it will.

Unfortunately, I won't be attending, but as an eComm alumnus, I will follow the daily updates and share them here. I'd love to be there, but my travels never take me overseas, and hope that the stars line up better for me when eComm returns to the U.S. next year. Until then, here's the next best thing I can do: if you follow this link, you can get a 10% discount on the registration. Am not sure how long the discount is in effect for, but don't wait too long!

eComm News - Ken Camp On Board

While this is really a news item, I'm glad to share this since it has a personal connection on a couple of levels. First is the news that colleague Ken Camp has taken on a formal role to help build and bring together the eComm community. Having been an Advisor to the eComm event earlier this year, I've been particularly close to growth challenges that lie ahead. Defining the eComm community is a fleeting task, so all the more reason to make it a bit more real - especially now that the conference is transitioning from a good idea into a viable business.

Yesterday it was announced that Ken is now the Director of Conversations and Marketing, and I think it's a great fit. Don't ask me what these Web 2.0-style job titles really mean - we're all directors of conversations, right? - but I think we understand the mission. It's much like Carl Ford's Community Developer role in his VON days - be a public advocate for the brand and engage people around the eComm vision. I think Ken is really well suited for this, as you really need to be grounded in the technologies and have a good contact network in the community. He's got these in spades, and of course Ken is a social guy, something you absolutely have to be for the role.

So, congrats to Ken on the posting, and hats off to Lee for formalizing this role for eComm and finding someone to take on the task. I'm sure we'll be hearing lots more from Ken as eComm ramps up for its first Euro event this fall. To learn more about the event, and to read more about Ken's news, check out the eComm blog. Also note that the post about Ken includes a link to a podcast that goes into his role and the broader eComm mission in greater length.

Ecomm Updates/Lee speaks on Skype and telecom

Phil Wolff of Skype Journal posted a thought-provoking interview with Lee Dryburgh, and this as good a time as any to report a few updates around Lee's event, eComm.

First, the interview. It starts from SJ's perspective - Skype - and what its future may hold if it breaks away from eBay. This is a good jumping-off point for Phil to engage Lee about Skype's impact on telecom and where the world goes from here. Lee has some very particular ideas about the future of telcos, and the main takeaway for me was the distinction between attention and intention. Before Skype, telephony was all about attention - getting people's attention - and in Lee's mind, telcos do a very bad job of this. In other words, the phone is not very efficient at getting people's attention when you want it - most calls end up in voice mail, on hold, getting transferred, endless IVR options, etc.

Why? Because the PSTN lacks any form of intelligence - the kind that comes with software-based communications tools like Skype or Google. That's where intention comes along. 2.0-style applications can gather intelligence about end users and make crude deductions about behaviors and preferences. We're still very early stage here, but this is what long tail economics is about, and it's pretty easy to see how even simple Presence features make communications more efficient than conventional telephony.

Lee is basically saying we're at the cusp of "phase two" of telecom's evolution, and it builds on what Skype has started. Android will be a pretty good barometer of Lee's vision, and he foresees a world where some legacy telcos will survive, but many will not. I'm not so sure about that, but there's no doubt we'll be seeing some big time disruption in the next few years, and that of course, is what eComm is all about.

How's that for a clever segue into the rest of this post? Speaking of eComm... there are a couple of timely updates that follow nicely on Lee's ideas. First, as an Advisor to eComm 2009, I've been part of some back and forth about the best URL to use for eComm. Based on what's out there, it was very recently decided to use a new URL going forward: www.ecomm.ec. Yes, I know it looks a bit odd, but eComm is a pretty unique type of conference, so why not have an unusual Internet handle? Now you know. So, update your bookmarks - here's the new address for eComm.

As you can see, the logo and event name have been updated, and you can also catch up on how the fall event is coming along. It will be in Amsterdam this Fall, and marks eComm's debut in Europe.

Finally, turning the page back the March eComm in San Jose - believe it or not, but Lee is still posting videos and presentations to the eComm blog. This is definitely worth making noise about, since there were so many good presentations. As recently as this Tuesday, Lee has added content, so if eComm 2009 fell off your radar the day after the event, spend some time on the blog. Whether you missed the event or wanted to revisit some sessions, there's lots there to explore. So, kudos to Lee for investing all this after-the-fact time to keep the content, ideas and spirit of eComm fresh.

March Media Roundup

I had a pretty nice mix of media involvement in March, including some A-list sources, namely the BBC, Wired Online and the Wall Street Journal. Can never get too much of that, and I hope they call again soon! Let's start there, and move on to the rest.

BBC - Google Voice launch

Wired Online - Google Voice launch

Wall Street Journal - coverage of my Voice 2.0 panel at eComm 2009


The Google Voice story had global coverage of course, and I turned up in a couple of these. I have no idea how this happens, but the Web does work in strange ways. As long as they spell my name right, I'm happy...

Negocias - Portuguese financial sector journal

Nikkei Net PC Online - Japanese coverage


Elsewhere in the English language press...

ITWorld Canada - Assessing the new CEO at Rogers

Tech Media Reports - Bell's acquisition of The Source (subscription required, but soft copy available)

Internet Telephony - IT Expo Industry Outlook Roundup


On TMCnet, my bi-monthly Service Provider Views columns ran:

Surviving in the New World of Telecom, Part 1

4G Focus ? Interview with Crossfire Media


Going back to eComm, Mobivox announced the launch CRM over Voice, which included a White Paper that I was commissioned to write:

CRM over Voice press release, plus link to download White Paper


Finally, last week marked the launch of Canadian Blogging Idol. It's a fun contest being run by ITWorld Canada, and I've been brought into the mix to blog.

I've had a few posts so far, but it's too early to tell how I'm doing. Stay tuned - and don't forget to vote!

eComm 2009 - Day 3

The eComm 2009 blur continues, but we're done now. Today's sessions were the best and most thought-provoking. Really good stuff, and if you just came for today, it would have been worth your while. I only have enough energy to post some photos, but I will add my overall impressions after I've had some time to decompress.

Hats off to Lee Dryburgh - he's done a fantastic job to make this conference happen. I'm convinced now that eComm was not a one-off wonder, and that Lee has the makings of a viable, ongoing conference now. He's already talked about doing a European event in the Fall, so stay tuned.


Stefan Agamanolis, Distance Lab - thinking more broadly about how we communicate - imagine floating in a pool and speaking to someone while being in a sensory deprivation environment --- you had to see the video to see what he was getting at - loved it



Thomas Howe, Jaduka - as always, he grounds us all in reality



RJ Auburn, Voxeo - more examples of innovation around voice - their Tropo launch was one of the highlights of the conference




Daniel Brusilovsky, Teens in Tech - my personal favorite of the conference. He's 16, and gave a great presentation about how his generation is using today's tools, especially the iPhone - a star in the making. Many parallels here to my oldest son, Max, who presented at eComm last year, and was 15 at the time. These guys are the future, and it's not hard to see why.




XD - Xuedong Huang, Microsoft - great opening line - he explained that the reason why the audience was almost exclusively using Apple Macs instead of PCs was simply that they don't have Windows 7 yet! Gotta like that. He had a great video showing a futuristic vision of what's possible with ubiquitous broadband that's literally in the air - very magical, and similar to a video he showed recently at the IT Expo. I don't think Microsoft hired Pixar to make this, but it's certainly in that vein.



Martin Gedddes, BT - sharing his thoughts on the future of telephony remote via video

eComm Voice 2.0 Panel - Covered by WSJ

Yesterday, here at eComm 2009, I moderated a panel session titled Voice 2.0 - New Ways to Monetize Voice. We had a great lineup, and everyone on the panel had notable things to say about the opportunities that exist today for operators to make money with voice services and applications. If only we had more time to explore the topic - maybe next eComm...

The experience was definitely enjoyable, and felt a bit more special after learning that the Wall Street Journal picked up the session and ran an article about it. This link may expire by tomorrow, and if you need a text-based copy, just let me know.

WSJ writer Timothy Hay picked up on the key themes very well, and it was great to see Larry Lisser from Mobivox and Trevor Healy of Jajah getting some nice quotes. Let's hope this brings a little more attention and love from the investment community to this space. A little capital goes a long way with these companies, and as anyone attending eComm will attest, voice has a lot of life in 2009, and we've only seen a glimpse of what's to come.

For those of you not in attendance, there is a really nice photo gallery on the eComm website, with a few shots there of our session. You can view them here, starting at photo #172 - enjoy!

eComm 2009 - Day 2

More great content today here at eComm, but after a while, it starts to be a blur! Glad I'm taking notes. Just got time to post a few photos, and will add some commentary next time around.


Irv Shapiro, Ifbyphone



Jan Linden, GIPS




Chris Mairs, Andy Randall, MetaSwitch



Mark Spencer, Asterisk



Todd Landry, NEC Sphere



Dan York, Voxeo - relaxing after just finalizing the preso he's about to give

eComm 2009 - More Day 1 Highlights

Just a few highlights from this afternoon's presentations...


Alan Duric, Telio



Peter Diedrich, Mobivox



Jonathan Taylor, Voxeo



Jonathan Christensen, Skype - focus was on today's launch of SILK - their free, super wideband codec - pretty interesting stuff




Looking out the window, it was great to see that the weather improved considerably by the afternoon...

Thomas Howe/Jaduka Announcement

eComm is not heavy on announcements, but here's one that a good news story that's been in the works for a while. Followers of my blog should be familiar with both parties - The Thomas Howe Company and Jaduka. Today, they held a conference call at the conference to announce that Thomas Howe has joined Jaduka as their CEO, and Jack Rynes transitions from CEO to COO.

I think it's a great move for both companies, but I'm not going to get into the details now. In short, Tom brings the kind of vision to help Jaduka take enterprise applications to another level, and more importantly, position them at the forefront for what I would call the service provider of the future. Lots to say around this, but I'll do that in another forum.

Time is tight here, and others have done the job already, so I'll steer you to their posts and news items. First is the press release, then coverage from Rich Tehrani, Andy Abramson as well as Jim Courtney, who was present with me this morning in the suite where the concall was held. His post isn't up yet, but it will be soon - try checking his site later today.

eComm 2009 - First Thoughts

Well, we're 1 hour into eComm 2009, and so far, it's been as promised. Lee's bang-bang format is going to plan so far, and we've had 4 presentations already. This pace will continue all the way through the conference, so you'd better take notes - which I'm doing.

I'm not into Twitter, so you'll have to look elsewhere for the real-time thought-bytes coming from most of the people in attendance. The "official" eComm Twitter backchannel is an easy way to follow things blow by blow - which I know my son Max is doing back in Toronto.

At this point, I'm just going to share a few photos, and will add my thoughts later in the day.



Lee, looking pretty relaxed 30 seconds before showtime...








Not much of a day here, but it's way warmer than Toronto. I just can't get Harry Chapin's great song Taxi out of my mind - "it was raining hard in Frisco..."

Clarification - VON is not gone

I just came across a FierceVoIP item from a couple of weeks ago that I feel needs to be clarified. This may be old news in terms of its publishing date, but given the content, there's enough relevance for what I'm up to right now and for anyone following the state of telecom/tech conferences.

In between the end of TMC's IT Expo earlier this month, and next week's eComm 2009, media colleague Doug Mohney wrote a piece titled: From VON to the trinity/quad-play of events.

The timing was appropriate, as many of us have been trying to figure out where the VON community would migrate to. Doug provides his thoughts on the various events where he sees different types of people gravitating to in 2009. The usual suspects are in there - IT Expo, eComm, VoiceCon and even SuperComm - and I don't take issue with any of that.

What really surprised me though, is his outright passing over of VON. The VON as we knew it is gone - no question there. And of course, that's the driving premise of his story - where are all those people going now? At the end of the article, he flatly states "VON gone".

Well, hold on a minute. That VON may be gone, but for the record, the VON franchise still exists, and will debut under new management - so to speak - this September. As you probably know, Virgo Publishing took on the remnants of VON a few months back, and are in the process of re-branding it under their roof. No doubt they have their work cut out, but they are giving it a go, so it's not fair to say that VON is totally gone.

Since Virgo competes with Fierce, I can see why it's not in Doug's interest to draw attention to them. Business is business, but the indie in me says we also have to keep the facts straight. The new VON may only have a faint pulse, and it may never recapture this community, but it's not totally gone. Time will tell, but let's see what unfolds.

eComm 2009 - my Q&A with Lee Dryburgh/Discount Ends Today!

Got two more items to share with you about eComm 2009, which starts next Tuesday in San Francisco.

The most pressing is that today is your last chance to get tickets at a discount. To get the 20% savings - it's worth over $400 - you can register here, and use my code: jonarnoldblog. That's it - as a famous local radio commercial goes... if you miss it, you miss it.

If you're still not sure about eComm, maybe my interview with Lee Dryburgh will help convince you. As you probably know, Lee is the driving force behind the conference - I call him LeeComm - and he's never lacking for an opinion, especially about how badly the telecom sector needs fixing.

We just finished up our Q&A today, so you can now read first hand about why Lee wants to see you there next week. Enjoy...


JA eComm 2009 has been a long time in the making, and is a much-anticipated follow up to eComm's debut last March. You're the heart and soul behind eComm, so let's start with "why". What has driven you to devote so much time and energy to this event?

LD First I'd like to say that I don't mind being called the heart and soul behind it because I've put a tremendous amount of time and effort behind things, without expecting a return. But I do have to say that it would be impossible on my own. Luckily many people have understood the need for such an event; so I've had a lot of community support. Without this it would not be nearly as good as it is.

Turning to your question, I could write a book as to "why". But no doubt you wish for me to be succinct. With that in mind I'd say because there was not an event which focused on both showcasing and accelerating communications innovation. This was plain wrong when there are more opportunities in the telecom/comm space than there ever has been.

The potential to transform and cash in on such a fundamental transformation is immense, and there has not been a forum to help realize that. There is immense opportunity - but you have to be coordinating the right conversations; conversations which span over disciplines and industry boundaries. Watch this space - eComm will be facilitating a lot of discussion over the next year.

JA A lot has changed since the last eComm, and things are only getting harder for telecom operators now. What are their biggest challenges, what are their biggest fears, and how did they get into this mess?

LD I'd not necessarily say things are harder, in fact many things are better for them - the credit crunch has been a silver lining in many ways. The fear is that the march of disintermediation continues, as does the splitting away of the services they offer today from the underlying transport. But there are tremendous opportunities for operators.

The problem they have is determining their future structure and place in the shifting value chain. Their structure and services will not suffice for "tomorrow". The quicker an operator can become involved with the eComm community, the better. Real low-hanging fruit opportunities abound but it will take courage, risk and some vision to change due to deep-rooted inertia.

JA Let's look the other way to where they really need to be thinking. Where do you see their best opportunities, and how will eComm help them address these?

LD This could be the subject of many pages just to give the bullet points, the opportunities are so great. So let me just give a succinct answer again - just fix what is clearly broken today! Telephony is badly broken, to the point that its fundamental paradigms are now out of date; such that the 'A' party not the 'B' party is in control of time and attention demands.

JA You're quite fond of speaking your mind, and to give us a sense of what eComm is about, what are a couple of myths/misconceptions/sacred cows that will be taken to task there?

LD That is a whole can of worms I'd rather not open, at least right now. I'll win no friends because I'm disappointed with a lot of the "Internet communications" community for lacking reality and often lacking to grasp basics when it comes to the global telecommunications market - from regulation to infrastructure.

And yet I completely love the innovation that they drive. On the other hand, I appreciate the wealth, reach and connectedness that the global telecoms market creates. But their rate of innovation over the past 15 years, aside from hugely successful developments in cellular connectivity, has been diabolical. The two camps need to be married up properly and this is where the difficulty lies. It is one area where eComm is trying to overcome obstacles.

JA What kind of a community do you expect will gather at eComm, and what expectations should attendees have, especially if this is their first eComm?

LD Expect an informal atmosphere and a tremendous collection of doers, thinkers, visionaries, influencers and executives. Expect high energy, cut to the chase content and a sense of collective empowerment. I'd also expect that most will be able to detect opportunities "in the air".

JA To help those who are new to eComm better understand what makes it worthwhile coming, please explain a bit about why and how it's different from other conferences in the communications sector.

LD Different events exist for different purposes. Unfortunately all the other telecom events bore the life out of me. They really serve no other purpose than business card exchange and box shifting. It's needed though. But they are industry talking to the industry type events, so they more often than not hear their own echo rather than reality and real opportunities.

I'd like to make one clear distinction. The normal, and the most profitable way of doing events is to reach out to potential sponsors and let them collectively set the agenda. Find out who from which companies would like a booth then again feed their services/products into the agenda. Because of the founding history of eComm, the setup is the reverse, which has negative economic consequences in comparison, but makes for a radically better agenda.

The Emerging Communications conference - eComm - spends the entire year scouring the planet for the very best and most relevant people for the forthcoming period. It then looks for sponsors and corporate money. It's the only way of organizing if you want to genuinely showcase and accelerate communications innovation - and to uncover opportunities.

JA Innovation and disruption are key themes around eComm, and to wrap up, what type of person or company will get the most benefit from attending?

LD If you are in the communications/telecommunications field, you should take a look around the website and in particularly the agenda. If you've woken up and smelled the coffee, it should hit you like a ton of bricks that this is a MUST attend - not a nice to attend event.

My Voice 2.0 Panel at eComm 2009

Well, eComm 2009 is just over a week away, and as an Advisory Board member, we're doing what we can to get the word out and encourage new faces to come.

My most visible role at the conference will be moderating a session that Lee has asked me to put together. It's titled Voice 2.0 - New Ways to Monetize Voice, and I hope this gives you another reason to attend.

For those of you who will be there, the session runs on the Wednesday, from 2:00 to 2:45.

The title is pretty self-descriptive, and my objective is to share with the audience examples of what is out there today for carriers to use and make money with Voice 2.0. We can talk all day about what Voice 2.0 means, but you know it when you see it, and you'll see some great proof points during this session.

I've got 3 companies doing cool things with voice today, and alongside them, one of the most innovative operators I know - Telio, and one of the industry's more provocative contributors - Eric Burger.

Briefly, I'll be joined on the panel by:

- Trevor Healy, CEO, JAJAH
- Larry Lisser, VP, Mobivox
- Jonathan Taylor, CEO, Voxeo
- Alan Duric, CTO/co-founder, Telio
- Eric Burger, Chairman, SIP Forum

A more detailed outline of the session is posted now on the eComm website, and soon to follow will be photos and bios of the speakers. Hope to see you there!

Lee's Interview with Voxeo's Jonathan Taylor

Wanted to pass on the latest content addition to the eComm blog. Lee has just posted his interview with Jonathan Taylor, the CEO of Voxeo. They talk a lot about the origins of the company, and there are some good insights there about where Jonathan sees voice going. I've been a fan of Voxeo for some time, and they really are on the forefront of Voice 2.0, and the whole space of integrating voice into Web-based applications.

I'm also drawing attention to this because Jonathan will be on a panel that I've put together for eComm 2009 about Voice 2.0. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'll have a separate post about that on Monday. Until then, Jonathan's interview with Lee is a good read, and you can pick it up here on the eComm blog.

Max is Back - My Son's Take on the $99 iPhone

Some of you know my oldest son, Max. He's 16, and is the real IT guy in our house. You may even have seen him speak at eComm last year - Lee was gracious enough to give him an impromptu spot. He doesn't blog often enough, but this just might be the start of something good.

He's been talking about the recent $99 iPhone offer, and has a pretty good take on what it means across the board. A few days ago, I said to him that instead of talking my ear off about it, he should write a post and share it with the world. So, he did it, and I think it's pretty good. If you want to see how this story looks to a 16 year old, give his post a read, and better yet, tell him what you think. He'd love to hear from you!

eComm 2009 - Discount Extended

Registrations have been picking up nicely for eComm 2009, and I just wanted to let you know that the cutoff date for the 20% discount has been extended. Yesterday was supposed to be the end, but Lee has let it run, so you can still get the discount.

If you haven't registered yet - well.... - just drop me a line, and I'll pass on the code.

If you still haven't made up your mind, stay tuned, as I have some updates coming that will hopefully make this an easier decision.

My Video Interview with Dan York

At TMC's IT Expo earlier this month, Dan York caught up with me for a video interview. He's been doing these as video podcasts for a while, and they're archived on Voxeo's Emerging Tech Talks portal. Dan wears many hats, and even though this is under the Voxeo banner, it's very much just a conversation between two industry watchers.

This segment is Emerging Tech Talk #21, and the interview was built around my impressions of the IT Expo as well as my views on what to expect at next month's eComm 2009. The interview runs a bit under 7 minutes, and you can view it here.

Thanks for chat, Dan, and I look forward to seeing you again at eComm!

eComm 2009 - sort of like going to Wrigley Field

I can see why you may think I'm a conference junkie - it's all I seem to be posting about lately. I actually don't go to that many events, but it's been pretty busy for me lately on that front. Having just finished the IT Expo, I'm focusing now on eComm 2009, and doing what I can to make sure you attend.

It's smaller than the Expo, so the number of tickets available is limited, and if you don't have yours yet, you shouldn't wait too much longer. Plus, I can get you a 20% discount - just drop me a line, and I'll pass on the coupon code. You might want to jump on that, since the Early Bird deadline has now passed.

The speaking roster is first rate, and the caliber of sponsors getting behind the event says a lot about what you can expect there. Lee continues to add great content to the eComm blog, and that's another way to get a preview of what's coming. I've posted about these things before, and at this point, you just need to get over to the eComm website - it's all there.

Anyhow, as I shift modes from one conference to another, I was thinking about what to say today. Turns out Andy Abramson was reading my mind, as his post from yesterday is pretty much the segue I was thinking of to get from IT Expo to eComm.

The main point I want to echo from Andy's post is one of clarification. eComm is a very different kind of event, and it's a mistake to view it as competition with exhibitor-based shows like IT Expo or upcoming majors like MWC or CTIA. Those shows draw from a much wider audience and are about putting buyers and sellers together as much as being a forum for thought leadership.

eComm is all about the content and personal networking that comes from being amongst so many interesting people. It's very much about individual/personal visions and perspectives and not corporate pitches or marketingspeak. It's really a marathon and a test of stamina for those who want to take in dozens of strains around innovation and disruptoin over three days. There won't be any showfloor to run away to as a distraction - everyone is together, and by the end, eComm becomes a pretty tight community.

To pick up on Andy's sports theme, it's a lot like going to a ball game at Wrigley. There's nothing like it - and that's saying a lot from someone who has been going to games at Fenway for 5 decades. At Wrigley, there is no Jumbotron scoreboard or instant replays of any kind. The scoreboard itself is such a minor feature of the landscape, you simply have to watch the game at all times to know what's going on. That's how you really take in a ball game - no distractions, no filters, no advertising. It's as pure as it gets these days, and eComm is a lot like that to me. I digress...

Back to Andy's post. He picked up on Tom Keating's post from Friday which had a breakdown of attendance at the Expo. I totally agree with the thing that most struck Andy - developers only accounted for 6% of the IT Expo attendance. It's not a surprise really - TMC does have a separate developer show - the Expo just isn't their natural habitat. However, it sure is at eComm, and this is a really important community to engage these days.

So, to Andy's point, eComm very much complements other shows by attracting an audience those shows are missing. The challenge for eComm, of course, is to expand its reach beyond this niche audience, and given the scope of content being presented, this shouldn't be that hard to do. We'll find out soon enough, and if you've made up your mind to find out for yourself, don't forget to get that discount!

eComm 2009 - Direct Updates from Lee Dryburgh

Am doing a fair bit of boosterism lately for conferences I'm spending time at - well, times are tough, and viral marketing is easy and cheap to do.

On Monday, Lee Dryburgh did his Squawk Box segment with Alec Saunders, so it's a good chance to hear first hand from "LeeComm" how things are coming along and what you can expect to see at eComm 2009.

The podcast was just posted late last night, but it's as timely now as it was Monday morning! It's a long listen - almost an hour - but there's lots to talk about. The eComm roster is strong, and the content will be first rate, so if disruption and innovation is your thing, this should be on your March calendar.

Lee continues to tirelessly transcribe interviews he's done with some of the presenters, and you can read these on the eComm blog. The most recent entries are interviews with Jan Linden of Global IP Solutions and Andreas Constantinou of Vision Mobile.

eComm 2009 - Early Bird Discount Ends Today!

Last week I posted a few updates about eComm 2009, and can only assume you've bought your ticket and booked your travel by now. Right?

If not...the Early Bird discount ends today, so if you put it off til later, the prices goes up $300 starting tomorrow. Once you've got your credit card ready, here's the registration page!

And if that's not enough incentive, you can get an additional 20% savings by using my promotional discount code. I posted about this a few weeks back, and this extra discount is in effect up til February 17. So, you can apply it today and get a double discount, or just use it on its own for the remaining time after today. Let me know if you're interested.

For those of you still not sure why you need to be there, Lee has been posting some very thought provoking content on the eComm blog the past few days about the future of telecom, and it's a pretty good indicator of the kinds of people who will be speaking at the conference. He's been putting up transcripts of interviews, and while they make for VERY long posts, it's a nice option for those who can't spare 45 minutes or so to listen through the podcasts of each one.

And don't forget, you can catch Lee live tomorrow at 11am EST on Alec Saunder's Squawk Box podcast.

eComm Updates

Yesterday, the IT Expo; today, eComm.

These two events have been keeping me busy lately, and I've got two items to share about eComm 2009. As I've been posting recently, the program is coming together nicely and the sponsor support has been healthy. That's great news considering how difficult the economy is. The next step is getting the word out and ultimately getting attendees to register so we know who's coming!

Before getting to the eComm news, I wanted to share a great post from Andy Abramson, who's just back from MacWorld and CES last week. He goes to way more events than me, and his post is a great read for anyone worried about the health of the conference space. Of course they're all hurting financially and are scaling back accordingly. However, as Andy can attest first-hand, there is still tremendous value in attending.

Even if the shows are smaller, the key players are usually there, and there's no better opportunity to learn from and network among your peers over a few days. How's that for a nice segue into eComm? And of course, it applies equally well to the IT Expo, and any other show you have some history with. We all have to be more selective these days, but events like these matter, and are still the best way to stay involved.

On that note, the press release for eComm 2009 went out this morning, and you should give it a read for the latest list of topics and sponsors. Not to mention the early bird discount! I posted about getting this discount last month, and if you didn't take advantage of that, here's your second chance!

There's also a more interactive news item to pass along. Alec Saunders is going to resume his widely-followed Squawk Box interviews, and next Tuesday - January 20 - he'll be interviewing eComm founder Lee Dryburgh. It will be a great opportunity to hear from Lee directly about what eComm 2009 is focusing on, and of course to join the conversation yourself. The interview will be hosted on Alec's Calliflower platform, and you can read the details on his post.

eComm 2009 Updates

Lee Dryburgh has been busy over the holidays, and I wanted to update you on two items in particular, both of which are posted on the eComm blog.

First is the charity appeal he's just launched for the Shelter Network. In its purest form, this is a noble effort to raise money for homeless people in the San Francisco area. That's the simple part. Lee is an engineer, and nothing is simple for him, so there's more to the story. This initiative is tied into two other concepts - raising awareness/selling tickets to eComm 2009, and testing the effectiveness of social media to support causes like this.

There's a lot to consider here, and that explains why Lee's blog post about this is so long. I'm doing my part by blogging about it now, and hopefully a few of you will keep the thread going, especially if you regularly use social media tools. I do not, so this is as far as it goes for me. Anyhow, it certainly is a worthy cause, and if you want to support our eComm community, this is a very nice way to go.

Second is yet another go-round of the VoIP-dead-or-alive debate that started with my TMC article last Monday. This conversation has taken a life of its own the past few days, and even Jeff Pulver has waded in a couple of times. Well, one of these posts caught Lee's eye and yesterday he countered with a post of his own, essentially inviting Jeff to support and even speak at eComm.

Interesting, huh? Why Lee would use a public forum to do this, and why he - or anyone for that matter - would post about a conference on a Sunday - at the end of the XMas break to boot - is totally beyond me, but it did not go unnoticed.

There has been some dialog around this, and it will be interesting to see if Jeff puts any effort behind Lee's request. As a member of the eComm Advisory Board, I'd love to see Jeff help bring more community around eComm, but we all know it's not so simple. Just like seeing Carl moderate at the ITExpo, this type of outreach really gets your attention, and if you could put a host of issues aside, there could be a lot of upside for everyone. That's a pretty big "if", but hey, it's Day 1 of 2009 in the working world, and hopefully we've all made resolutions to make the world a better place.

2008 Year in Photos - Part 1

One way I like to recap the year is a photo review of the events and cool places I got to see in 2008. I'm no globetrotter, but I do my best to participate in a wide variety of industry events. This goes a long way to keep me current and connected to a whole lot of interesting companies that are leading the way in IP communications. I also love photography, and try to live in the moment with whatever camera I've got.

This summarizes my travels in the first half of the year, and tomorrow I'll do the second half.

CBC's Test the Nation, Toronto, January

What a fun way to start the year. Test the Nation is a national quiz show on CBC TV, and is based on teams from various walks of life. I was invited to be on the Blogger team, and we were up against ths likes of Chefs, Pilots, Taxi drivers, and... Celebrity Look Alikes! Definitely the best perk I've had as a blogger.



The celeb look-alikes were better looking than the bloggers, but were the top team in the end. Got more pix like this in my original post.




Not only did we win as a team, but fellow blogger Rick Spence came away with the top personal score among all the contestants. Whoo hoo.




TMC's IT Expo, Miami Beach, January

Can't think of a better place to be in the dead of winter. The big giveaway prize was this red Mustang, and it sure helped bring traffic on to the show floor.




Jeff Pulver's Social Media Breakfast, Toronto, March

Jeff's never-ending world tour of social media breakfasts made a well-received visit to my town at our local deli. Definitely the shortest commute I've had outside of my home office.




eComm 2008, San Jose, March

Probably the most important event I attended all year, and it should be even better in 2009.





Above: Lee Dryburgh, me - moderating the wireless panel, Truphone's James Body helping my son Max unlock his iPhone, just bought that morning from the local Apple store

Dimension Data Analyst Day, Boston, April




Dialogic Analyst Day, New York

Really enjoyed this event, but the camera in my Nokia phone had a major meltdown, and I have no photos from the sessions. The personal highlight for me, though, was the Yankee Stadium tour they gave us. What a fantastic experience, especially for Red Sox fan like me. I was able to salvage a few shots from the tour, and here's one. You can view a bunch more on my original post.



IT360 Conference, Toronto, April

Canadian telecom conferences are few and far between, and generally smaller than U.S. events. This was one of the bigger ones, and I had my hands full chairing the tracks on Unified Communications.



MetaSwitch Forum, New Orleans, April

April was my busiest month in 2008, and the MetaSwitch Forum was the most fun. They always put on a great event, and the setting made it so enjoyable. Got plenty more photos of N'awlins if you're into virtual tourism on my original posts - view them here and here.





Above: Andy Randall, the amazing Mardi Gras World, a taste of the French Quarter


Nortel Analyst Day, Ottawa, May

I was one of only 3 analysts/media attending this event, and we got a very sneak preview at some things that Nortel had not previously shared with the public. It was quite the day, and you can read/see more about it on my original post. Things haven't gone too well for Nortel since, but they do have some cool technology that is going to find its way to your desktop sooner or later.





Above: Project Chainsaw demo, Telepresence demo


Cisco Channel Showcase, Toronto, May