At one point in planning mesh, we were on the verge of turning the event into a Blogger’s conference, but we steered away. 

Why did we consider blogs?  Blogs are gaining influence – it’s undeniable.  All you need to do is look south of the 49th and observe how the US followed blogs during the last election.  In Canada, the influence of blogs is just emerging as evidenced in the Sarmite Bulte election scenario.

This influence is something we are going to be addressing at Mesh.   It’s a huge, potent and timely subject and the talent will be there to get the job done right. 

Who might be interested in this kind of thing?  I think you might be surprised at how many people would find this content interesting – I AM thinking about non-techies.  Let me give you an example.  I have been pushing my dad (semi retired lawyer) to start a blog called, “Letters from Bob”.  Why?  He loves to talk politics, critique businesses that make him mad, and since he is old school, he likes to write letters.  I know there would be a huge audience for his letters to corporations (perhaps a cult following:)) after 40 years of corporate law practice I assure you he has something to say and knows how to say it.  With the awareness an audience amplifies, a blog like this could actually have influence in consumer advocacy circles.

It’s a quick example.  I prefer to think of environmental groups who raise awareness for worthy causes.  Imagine getting a feed with tips for how to be more green around you home or office?  What a breath of fresh air that would be (if you know of some, please let me know).  Mark takes that one step further in a great post entitled, “What If Jane Jacobs Had a Blog?”  Sadly, Jane died this week, but no doubt her blog would have been huge if it was something she had chosen to do.

When the market is billions of people (who read the internet), there is literally an audience for every cause.  Understanding the impact of this and its effects on society are what we will be dealing with at mesh.  Mathew, Stuart, Rob and mesh are starting to tackle the topic and share some insight.  Come help us round and the conversation and join us at mesh.