DISQUS

Great list, Jennifer. I'm proud to be in such esteemed company! Boston has always been strong on applications of technology, though we let the Valley steal the technology development crown some years ago.

Two additions to your list would be Sermo, the very successful social network for physicians, and Waltham-based ZoomInfo, which has created an innovative engine for people search. I'd also mention Eons, a social network for Boomers that has built quite a following and which is led by Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor.

Thanks for the lovely compliment! Words like these are what make book-writing worthwhile. It's so nice to touch someone in this way. Congrats on your Silver W3 Award!

I believe Isaacson's point was that young people are still consuming newspaper content, even though most of it is online. The paradox for newspapers is that their editorial product is in high demand but the means to monetize it has changed. I'm not convinced that a micropayments model won't work, but it has to involve a coordinated effort by publishers along with a PR campaign by journalists and public figures to convince the public that vital sources of information are going to disappear without support. The RIAA didn't build a new revenue model for the recording industry. Bands like Metallica did.

You did what journalists have been doing for the past century. The difference is that you disclosed it.

During my years as a journalist, I was frequently offered all-expense-paid trips to resort destinations by technology vendors and trade organizations eager for visibility. I wasn't allowed to accept them, but some of my colleagues in the business were, and few bothered to tell their readers who funded their junkets. European journalists flocked to the events because few of them had conflict-of-interest policies.

Top TV journalists command fees in the tens of thousands of dollars to give speeches or host corporate events. Is this disclosed when they mention those same companies on the air? Not that I've ever seen.

Edward R. Murrow had to mention his sponsor in every program, but at least people knew where he stood. The key is disclosure. Your blog entry was mostly positive, but not entirely so. I thought it was credible. Someone else might disagree, but at least they know because you disclosed the circumstances. That certainly shouldn't cast doubt on everything else you say.

Thanks for fighting the good fight.

Robert: I had hoped to interview you at Syndicate for a chapter in my book but totally identify with your pain. My dad died last August after a five-year bout with Alzheimer's. It's agonizing to see parents go through this, but it when we most have to pay back to them the hard work and sacrifice they endured to raise us. God speed to you and your mom.