What we need is a Friars’ Club for the internet
: I got an email pitch from Always On to join up and pay up for the priviliege of getting its print magazine and getting discounts to its events. And that was fine — if hauntingly familiar — so far. But then I read on to the pitch for the first event:
As an example, all AO Insiders will be invited to a members-only Churchill
Club affair on November 9th for the Top 10 Trends in Technology Debate,
featuring John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins and Bono’s new investment partner,
Roger McNamee. You will also be invited to the Yahoo campus on December 8th
to watch my live interview with Chief Yahoo Jerry Yang at a private dinner
for 300 insiders.
Web 2.0 ruined the appeal of that. John Doerr was an utter ass on stage, refusing to answer questions, playing coy for no reason, revealing nothing, boring the audience. And Jerry Yang, though a terribly nice guy, really has nothing new to say. Reverential interviews and panel discussions with these guys won’t get a dollar from me. On the other hand, what if we started a Friars’ Club for online with roasts of them (and a few others I can nominate). Now that would be entertaining.
