It’s been a while - my apologies for the unplanned interruption in blog entries. Some business travel, sending the May/June issue of Revenue to the printer, moving cubes and the flu are just some of my pocketful of excuses for neglecting this space. I’ve also got a note from Mom if you need to see that as well.

Right now I’m sifting through the mountain of happenings at next week’s Ad:Tech show to figure out my schedule. I’m really jazzed about the show for a variety of reasons. The event, which is being held here in San Francisco, keeps growing by leaps and bounds. Last year’s spring show was at the Marriott Hotel and this time around it’s at the much-larger Moscone convention center.

The line up of speakers and topics also looks very intriguing. I’m already trying to figure out how I can clone myself so I can attend multiple sessions at the same time. I’d hate to check out the panel on “Social Media: The Emerging Set of Communication Platforms” and have to miss “Managing Ultra-Complex Search Campaigns.”

It’s also a great opportunity to connect with industry sources and leaders that I just don’t spend enough time with and folks I’ve talked to many times on the phone but have yet to meet in the flesh. In addition, I have a few meetings with people and companies doing quite innovative things. I wish I could meet with everyone that reached out to me, but there’s just not enough time.

However, one of the most exciting things about the show is that Revenue will be there as an exhibitor. We have a booth - #5347. Drop by the Revenue Lounge and chill out. We’ll have couches and chairs so you can take a load off. We’ll also have plenty of reading materials (Revenue Magazine, duh!) and we will be giving away lots of digital subscriptions to the magazine. Plus, you’ll get to schmooze it up with some of the Revenue booth bunnies, er, I mean staffers, who will be on hand to answer any and all of your questions. So come by, set a spell and just take a little break.

See you at the show. lisap@revenuetoday.com

Anyone can make a mistake, but some times those missteps are just too ironic to overlook. Sorry, but I just couldn’t pass up this one.

On Monday afternoon I received this email from the 2006 Email Insider Summit inviting me to their inaugural conference.

“I would like you to be our guest for the 2006 Email Insider Summit. As a Summit VIP, the cost of your airfare, hotel accommodations and conference registration will be paid for by MediaPost.

The Email Insider Summit Advisory Board has identified you as a senior level marketer or agency executive decision maker within your company. You are among a select few to whom we are extending this special VIP opportunity.”

Okay, so now I’m a VIP. Please, go on…

“Information-packed sessions will alternate with relaxing networking activities. Each morning attendees will share information and learn more about email marketing through general sessions, keynotes, research presentations, case studies, workshops, and panel discussions. In the afternoons the fun begins with golf, rafting and other activities that take advantage of the Arizona desert. As our guest, you will be expected to attend three VIP breakfasts to hear a one-half hour presentation by our conference sponsor.

The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa, named America’s Top Resort for 14 years running, is home of the Email Insider Summit. In the heart of the desert, the hotel boasts breathtaking views of 1,300 acres of pristine Sonoran Desert, and unspoiled natural beauty and includes two championship-level golf courses, four swimming pools, a terraced tennis garden and lavish spa.”

Spa? Did you mention spa? Now you really have my attention. I have been feeling very stressed out over deadlines and could use some massaging. Plus, I’m feeling gloomy from the incessant rain here in San Francisco. And I do love the desert. Go on…

“The purpose of the Email Insider Summit is to bring the best minds in the industry together to share leading edge information and experience on email marketing in a think-tank environment, while exploring new technology, strategies and tactics for effective campaigns.

Hosted by Bill McCloskey, the first summit will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona on May 21-24th. In a tranquil mountain setting, over one hundred brand marketers and agency decision makers will network, discuss and debate, working collaboratively to improve the email channel, as well as their own marketing efforts.”

That sounds very educational. In my mind I nearly had my bags all packed, but being an ethical journalist I knew that I wasn’t going to attend on their dime. Though, I’ll admit that I thought about it for 1 or 2 or 60 minutes or so.

However, just to find out the scoop, and test my new found “VIP” status, I quickly sent MediaPost an email thanking them for the invite and asking exactly how I needed to proceed to make this happen.

Here’s the email that I (and many disappointed others) received just a few hours later.

“Dear Lisa:

We apologize if you received an email from MediaPost earlier today inviting you as our VIP guest to the Email Insider Summit. That email was intended to be sent to a list of 50 top brand marketers in the industry, that have already agreed to attend the event. The email below is the email that you were intended to receive. If you would like to be a part of the inaugural Email Insider Summit please read below about the summit and how to register. Again we apologize for the confusion and inconvenience that error may have caused you.”

Then it goes on about the conference. Strategies blah blah blah. Thought provoking yada yada yada. Effective email campaigns ho hum. Somehow I’m less interested when I’ve been stripped of my VIP status.

Ah, the use of email as a tool to successfully communicate and build relationships with customers…..

Let me know if anything is rubbing you the wrong way today. lisap@revenuetoday.com

Several months ago this blog was forced to turn off the comment feature due to an overload of spam. Because of that issue, I wanted to make sure that ReturnOnAffiliate.com founder and president, Richard Lewis, got to add his two cents on my previous post.

The following is from an email he sent me: (Note: I added the links, not Lewis.)

“I was alerted on Thursday, March 30th by a member of our site Mike Nunez of Suluta that marketing affecting ReturnOnAffiliate.com was in some way connected with a company called MyGeek.com. Upon hearing that we went through our current marketing and discovered that a company called CPVMarket was in fact a partner of that company. We suspended the account on Thursday with them and alerted Mike to that fact, and he informed us that Kellie Stevens, the president of AffiliateFairPlay.com had informed him of that fact. Several e-mails were sent to Kellie, and the next day on Friday I spoke with her for 2 hours to explain the situation.”

Lewis goes on to note that, “It was due to my error in not understanding the difference between CPV and CPC marketing that this occurred. ReturnonAffiliate.com makes no income from any portion of its website and is provided free as a service to the affiliate marketing community. It was my ignorance of the issues at hand that lead to this problem. ReturnOnAffiliate.com does not condone the use of badware/spyware or any other negative behaviors. ROA Plans to hold a week long conversation in the week following eComXpo on the topic of badware and discuss ways to inform people about the dangers of CPV marketing. We will be suspending all advertising to the site until I am convinced that no further problems exist. We are very sorry, and we made a mistake in our advertising, it’s fixed now and won’t happen again.”

I certainly hope so, but Lewis should know that because this impacted so many people in the industry (most are members and early supporters of his fledgling site) many eyes will be watching the future moves of ROA very closely.

Let me know who or what you have your eye on these days. lisap@revenuetoday.com