Debbie Weil is a corporate blogging and social media expert, online marketing consultant, speaker and author of The Corporate Blogging Book (Portfolio). She consults with large companies, CEOs and senior executives on how to create blogs that connect with customers and attract media attention.

Had a great time this morning speaking to members of Success in the City, a Washington DC-area networking group for women executives. I talked briefly about how the line between mainstream media and consumer generated content is blurring (recent example: a University of Florida student's video of a diatribe directed at Sen. John Kerry was aired on CNN).

And at the same time, in a parallel phenomenon, corporations are slowly - slowly - realizing that consumer generated media (whether it's blogs or videos or Facebook groups) may be a more credible and effective way to influence consumers than traditional advertising created by expensive agencies.  

We also talked about privacy - or lack of it - in this age of Googling and pros and cons of using a blog to control your digital identity through your own blog. Great group. And kudos to Success in the City's dynamic founder Cynthia de Lorenzi.