There is a lot interesting stuff to ponder. Some of it new and some I’m just getting to after a busy week last week. In any case, here’s what’s taking up a little space in my head this morning.

It’s the end of a long week and while the blog must go on I’m too exhausted to come up with something pithy and insightful. So, for today I’ll let others do the heavy lifting. Here are some interesting stories about online marketing from around the Web.

It’s been a while, but today we’re opening the Revenue mailbag to answer a question from a curious reader.

Reader: I want to know what stories will be in Revenue Magazine for the rest of the year. How come Revenue doesn’t publish an editorial calendar?

Consultant Jim Kukral just launched another fun site. Check out Big Brown Box. I have something interesting to add to the big brown box and will be mailing it to Jim on Monday. The box already has some very cool stuff in it.

So if you can tear yourself away from your bracket, you should check out eComXpo next week. It’s a virtual expo and it’s free to attend. They are expecting more than 7,000 attendees, 300 exhibitors and 40 presenters (including yours truly) as well as 175 archived presentations at eComXpo University.

Another holiday is fast approaching. And the trend toward Americans spending more money to celebrate continues. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 St. Patrick’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, consumers will spend $3.8 billion celebrating the Irish – and not all of that’s on green beer. That’s right – the average consumer is expected to spend $34.89 celebrating the holiday, compared with last year’s $27.94.

The March/April issue of Revenue just arrived on my desk – hot off the press. It’s always a thrill for me to see the final result of so much hard work by the Revenue team. The magazine also always looks different to me in an odd but small way in its final form. No matter how many times I’ve looked at the layouts, read and edited the text and reviewed the proofs, I always see something that I would have changed or done slightly differently. But I guess that means we are always striving to improve things. And that’s a good thing.

I’ve already had several planning meetings this year about conferences and trade shows. There’s another slated for this week. The ongoing discussions usually revolve around which events Revenue will participate in as a sponsor, be an exhibitor at and just how many members of the Revenue team will be attending.

It’s getting tougher to make these decisions as there seem to be more and more shows with compelling speakers, educational sessions and great chances for networking.

My last blog entry was about the many people and resources that provide online marketers with sage advice. Also, a couple of weeks ago Shawn Collins and I interviewed consultant Jim Kukral on our Affiliate Thing podcast about how there seemed to be a shift in the online marketing space that included more openness, kindness and sharing of information.

In the spirit of continuing all those good vibes (plus, it’ll be extra karma points for you) I’m reaching out to you for some assistance. Here’s the deal … I’m working on a project that involves finding out what’s on the minds of chief marketing officers (CMOs); like, what pressing issues, topics or problems might be keeping these top-level marketing executives awake at night.

What I’m in need of from readers of this blog is your opinion on the top five things that you believe are on CMOs’ minds. Of course, I’m in the process of talking directly with CMOs, but I’d really love to see if what those folks are most concerned with jives with your point of view. Let me know what you think.