1.That's about right...if you'll recall it wasn't until about 2 years after IABC/Hyperspace was regularly fielding active discussions & with continued prodding by you, me, Pizzo, Rudnick, .et .al, that Tudor and I were asked to be Blue Ribbon judges that first year it offered an "online communications" category.

As long as IABC persists in clinging to a management and decision-making structure rooted 30 years or more in the past, you'll have to resign yourself to the fact that they will always be bringing up the rear on topics/developments related to potential benefits of its members.

Especially if it involves something outide the comfort zone and status quo and requires a degree of risk/uncertainty/vision (no matter how slight).

IABC is what it is. No sense expecting it to turn into something different. Politically, too many people have to much invested in keeping things from changing too much, too fast.

2.Oops...the last part of my post somehow didn't make it. It should end with...

>>IABC is what it is. No sense expecting it to turn into something different. Politically, too many people have to much invested in keeping things from changing too much, too fast.

Not that IABC is unique in this respect as I believe it is endemic to the way non-profit associations and organizations have evolved. The leading question, given the sea change that we are witnessing, is will the non-profit association be able to reinvent itself to operate successfully in the new environment unfolding with stunning speed around them?

3.I know there was one entry for podcasts as we entered one for our internal podcast that we produce at our organization. The categories do need to be expanded to better fit these evolving social media areas. The current constraints do not provide an entry such as ours to be judged on the same playing field for the category we had to "fit" into. I hope that by next year when we enter again we will see new categories for these field and then be judged on the merits of how these important communication tools are designed to work.

4.I share in your disappointment with the lack of recognition for social media by the Gold Quills. However, I can't say it surprises me. I see two things happening. In one bucket, you have the companies that are using social media tools successfully and don't feel the need for recognition by an awards program such as Gold Quill. In other words, they've already sold the idea to management and shown the inherent value in their approach. So a shiny trophy on their shelf isn't worth the $200 or so entry fee (not to mention the significant time investment required to write a winning work plan). In the other bucket you have companies who are desperately trying to sell the idea to senior management, or perhaps a stubborn IT department, and have nothing to enter yet.