Queue up Johnny Mathis -- I'll Be Home for Cisco Live.
The event, to be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco in less than two weeks, is only open to local SF press and analysts. I can only presume that Cisco is doing this for economic reasons. A company spokesperson did not immediately reply when I e-mailed inquiring about the reason for the exclusivity, but we all know the state of our economy and that Cisco's trying to shave its own $1 billion in expenses...
And I'm not complaining. The weather is very nice this time of year here in Buffalo. How come we never make the national news when the weather is good? It's one less time consuming and stressful cross-country plane ride for me and more time with my kids. More quality time with friends after work too.
And I get to attend Cisco Live virtually! I get to be a guinea pig in the virtual world that Cisco envisions for how we live, learn, work and play. Only, this is without the play part...
Learning might take a step back too.
Jayson Blair might disagree, but I think readers know the difference between covering an event on-site or from afar. When you're at the scene, you can take people aside and get their viewpoints. You can meet with them after the day's sessions and share thoughts, opinions or interpretations casually, in a relaxed manner, off the cuff and (if agreed to) off the record. You can read body language and facial expressions. You can get valuable face time. You can add color to your coverage by noting the ambience or environment in which the event takes place -- like the customer appreciation event with KISS.
You can deviate from the script.
This is all lost when you're not at the scene but "attending" virtually. You go from Being There to Not Being There, because there is no "there" there (apologies to Gertrude Stein). There's no casual sideline or background talk to gain perspective; there's no soaking up the atmosphere or ambience to set the stage for your coverage; there's no deviating from the script; there's little to no opportunity for a reporter to add value or differentiate coverage when they are not actually at the event.
Cisco's banking big on virtualization changing business models and driving demand for its gear. It's hard to argue against the benefits of virtualization -- reduced travel, reduced cost, better time management, more time for family and friends, etc. But it doesn't work in all instances.
In journalism, virtualization doesn't work -- not if you also have the opportunity and resources to attend physically. It washes out color. It denies peripheral vision. It limits perspective. It deprives the reader a sense of being there because the writer was never there.
Virtual may be real-time; but it's in black-and-white.
My first hope for covering this event virtually is that Cisco has worked out all of the kinks in order for me to "attend." There were some snags in "attending" the Cisco Partner Summit virtually two weeks ago, which meant missed dialogue and potentially lost coverage opportunity. Granted, I was allowed to attend this event physically, but it fell too close to Interop to loosen up additional travel dollars.
Second, let's hope extending virtual-only invitations to the press is not the Cisco trend going forward. I can appreciate the fact that the economy is in a recession and Cisco would rather not pay for me to have breakfast, lunch and dinner on their dime. Or take up a reduced rate hotel room when it would be more beneficial to house a customer in that room. But last time I checked, my company paid for travel, meals and rooming at Interop...
And in this job, there's nothing like actually being there.
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Buffalo, NY here too...
But I am going :) The weather will actually be a bit colder in SF than here... How does that work?
I will be in SFO
Going to meet and cover other vendors since Cisco will not invite anyone. Just BS by Cisco. But thats what we come to expect.
I thought of going since I am a partner, but when they treat the media this way why go?
Larry is so right about Cisco Media
I cannot give my name as my magazine would not like my views to much, but Larry is right. I was blown off by Cisco Media when I asked to cover the event. I went last year and was looking for a great time this year with coverage. To be honest I am really happy I am not going, it is a ego fest at Cisco Live. Too many CCIE's with huge ego's, it really gets old.
I wonder if HP ProCurve would invite me to an event?
HA I am sorry if CCIE's have
HA I am sorry if CCIE's have huge egos. I guess all the work you put in to your career and lifetime body of work has culminated to make you a great judge of such character. So if I understand you correctly; however, are you truley judging the character of the people that have dediacted their lives to making the internet and technology the powerful presence it is today because you didn't get invited to join them for drinks. Hmm seems to me I would be more afraid of the CCIE than my ity bity magazine boss...
Ok, so Larry...
if I were a customer of yours I would be reticent to purchase networking equipment from a reseller who was not getting the most current training and information available. I have historically found Cisco Networkers to be a great event (not sure what CiscoLive is but it seems to be a marketing spin version of Networkers.)
Now, as far as excluding press and bloggers I completely concur - a horrid practice. Why would Cisco not invite press and/or analysts to its event? It seems that Cisco is a horribly dysfunctional company now - what I keep seeing is overly controlling PR teams, marketing groups with little to no technical credibility, product teams that have no clue what each other is doing, no cohesive or concerted strategy, inflated margins, and some socialistic-style of management that really means, 'umm- hey guys, lets have 20 priorities because I can't make a decision about where to invest.'
Ever been to Apple's WWDC? MacWorld? You get new product announcements and updates. People expect it, the flock to ot, they embrace the press, and build the hype. Cisco? They just spam out whatever marketing hype they can as often as possible with no coordination or plan whatsoever. Proof? Look at the recent announcements....
Cisco's dead. The thought police, finance, and operations people are in charge. Find someone with an original thought there - they probably have left and went somewhere where they would be appreciated.
I like the post above, but....
You do not need to go to Cisco Live to get the latest news or training just an FYI. If so 95% of Cisco Engineers could not work on the products.
But the rest is right, they have issues and it seems liek they dont care.
A week long Cisco Protest June 27-July 2, 2009
Cisco Subnet, how about a protest over the non-invitations to Cisco Live. Why don't you just show Cisco how you feel, write no news on Cisco Live all week. Cover other vendors who compete against them. Time to stand up against them, seems like you have many bloggers who are not happy and Cisco has refused to issues any statement saying they are sorry other than a poor excuse in a blog.
The should step up and fly Jim and Larry out to SFO, put them up in hotels and take care of the whole trip. They need to see they made a huge mistake.
Buffalo, NY too
Who would have thought summer weather could be colder than Buffalo? Oh well, first Cisco Live and pretty excited for it :)
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