Got blogged by Doc Searls. Thanks, Doc! You *are* da blogman… I met Doc in about ’98 (we’d been emailing for while before that, in his Cluetrain Manifesto days) — really before the whole blog thing fired up. I recall it was at an Internet World event in LA. I liked him instantly. I think we had a lot in common because we’d both been technology ad guys once upon a time.

Then, he actually came to Minneapolis to cover an event for Linux Journal, and we met up again. Since then, we’ve seen each other at various conferences, including O’Reilly’s, and stayed in touch by email. I’ve gained even more respect for Doc over time — it’s amazing what he does, the great perspectives he provides, the way he so clearly presents and positions things going on out there. The man also has a great quality missing too much these days: humility. I think he personifies the best of the whole blogging phenomenon. And to think it all started with that simple, yet oh-so-prescient quote of his: “Markets are conversations.”