BlogHer's March 2008 Social Media Benchmark Study, in partnership with Compass Partners, illustrated in hard numbers what most of us already have intuited: Blogging is becoming mainstream, addictive and trusted across a huge, diverse swath of Internet users. Women, in particular, are abandoning other media channels to get their information, entertainment and product advice. Women, in particular, are becoming early adopters of every new Web 2.0 tool...striking out into technical territory that many of their backgrounds would never have predicted.

But this acquisition of information, entertainment and advice is only a by-product of acquiring something much more powerful: empowerment. And this early adoption of technology is not about cool-hunting or personal empire expansion. It's about building trusted community. It's about love. The fact is that blogs are changing the world in ways large and small, and like any true cultural phenomenon, the power and glory of blogging is best communicated via storytelling. Stats are great, but stories are powerful...come hear amazing stories about bloggers you may know nothing about, but should.

Blogging opens endless doors for exposure and growth of your identity and your brand. But someone has to forge the path to determine what might constitute too much exposure. Jake and Alex talk about some examples of openness and identity online and share some tips and examples of taking the smart risks when blurring the line between your work and your life.

Corporate blogs have proliferated the marketing communications ecosystem of corporate America. From Fortune 500 companies to startups they¹ve all embraced corporate blogging but the question remains? How effective are they in communicating to their user base who religiously subscribe to these blogs. This panel will attempt to summarize the best practices that the panelists have employed at their respective companies (Yahoo!, Facebook and LinkedIn) to start "the conversation" with their users. By the end of the panel discussion you¹ll learn of the 7 habits of effective business blogs that you can put to practice right away. Learn how some of biggest brands in the tech world practice the art of user communications in a brave new world of corporate blogging.

Musicians are immersed in a changing business forcing them to be entrepreneurs. Combining artistry with commerce requires mentorship to navigate pitfalls. Larry leads this panel for your look inside a secret society of musician entrepreneurs... An open discussion about:

1) The New Music Model 2) The 360 Deals 3) Are labels still Necessary? 4) Making Music is Promoting