I have some folks down at CJU in Santa Barbara that generously agreed to call me or email me with details from the event. I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of each session since you can find that info elsewhere, but here are some CJU observations in no particular order:

*The general consensus on CJ rolling out Web Services was very positive. Most people called it “very cool” and are looking forward to digging into it.

*More than one of my spies noted that Tom Vadnais, general manager of ValueClick’s Commission Junction and Mediaplex divisions, appears to be separated at birth from former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw. It’s been over a year since I’ve seen Vadnais and I can’t find an image of him on the Web to judge for myself. Let me know what you think.

*Sarah Fay’s word of mouth session was interesting but some reported that it was not aimed at affiliates – more for agencies. Still, most found it enlightening. One person told me that it got them thinking, which in my opinion, is a good thing.

*The CJ Performers presentation didn’t get high marks from my moles, who said it “seemed scripted.” Others noted that everyone was in agreement about every issue. While another spy told me that the sessions was boring and it seemed like they were seeing the same people over and over.

*Good food. Bad food. Can’t please everyone I guess.

*A big wildfire in the nearby Los Padre National Forest left the beautiful city of Santa Barbara covered in smoke and ash.

*The highlight seemed to be the CJ Connect session, which was held outside on the lawn of the resort. While, some called it a “feeding frenzy of advertisers waiting to descend on publishers,” others claimed it was a great networking experience and very valuable. Most people stayed and hung out long after it is over.

What’s your experience at CJU been? lisap@revenuetoday.com