I missed this when it aired several weeks ago. Nothing new but fun to see it on network TV. Marriott tells the reporter that Bill Marriott's CEO blog is responsible for $4 million in bookings on the main site. That's not a huge amount given Marriott's sales, which are in the billions. But not bad for a little spare change from blogging.

For many companies and executives, the hardest thing to swallow about blogging or any form of social media is the unpredictability. The fear is that you might be opening a pandora's box. What will spur negative feedback? What will spark a controversy? Prompt a lawsuit? What if... you get no response at all?

Experimenting with blogs and wikis and online communities often means stepping outside your comfort zone. Luckily, there are more and more examples (here are 35) we can point to as proof that major brands know how to play in this space.

The ROI…

I'm an Olympics junkie and confess to watching hours of coverage. Yes, on TV. So retro.

I'm also a China fan, having had the opportunity to visit Beijing and Shanghai recently.

All by way of saying that I watched the remarkable spectacle of the Opening Ceremonies and was struck, like so many others, by the perfectly synchronized choregraphy of several thousand artists, dancers, drummers, percussionists, etc. (image from The Boston Globe).

Harmony. Collaboration. Many as one. The power of the group vs. the individual. China couldn't have demonstrated the…

I noticed Chris when I was walking through National Airport in D.C. yesterday. Sitting at Starbucks, he was writing in an old-fashioned ruled journal with a fountain pen. Nearby, at the ready, was his ink-stained blotter. At the adjacent table was another guy with, predictably, an open laptop.

I was so astonished that I circled back and asked if I could take a photo. Chris was quite agreeable. "It's my sanity," he said. He had on green sneakers and was on his way to Aspen, CO. 

Can you remember when you kept a journal?…

Update: I've just received my invite. I'm member #505 of Seth Godin's Triiibe on Ning. Not sure why there are three "i's" but looks good.

 You've got until 11 AM Eastern July 30, 2008. Follow Seth's instructions here. As I understand it, you need to pre-order his new book: Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us, to be published in October. Forward the email receipt to him. Then wait for your exclusive invite. Hope I get one. As always with Seth, this is clever. Scarcity creates urgency: gotta have it! Hope I get one...

As he explains…

My new integrated blog / site went live today. The first thing you'll notice is the lack of clutter. The talented folks at Viget convinced me that less is more.

So... no endless stack of widgets in the right-hand column of my blog. No "Digg this" or "Technorati" icons under each blog entry. We thought about this long and hard and I'm glad we did it this way. Note that there are icons for LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and del.icio.us in the footer of each page.

It's been a…