There are many ways to get feedback and keep up with what is going on in the world. Reading weblogs and newspapers provides a lot. So does giving speeches and getting feedback from Q&A sessions or talking with members of the press. Another way is to participate on boards. On non-profit boards you can contribute a great deal. You can also contribute to the growth of companies by sharing your experience and ideas. Profit or non-profit, you also learn a great deal in the process of serving. I feel quite fortunate to have just joined the board of directors of Jupitermedia (see press release). I have known Alan Meckler, chairman and ceo of Jupitermedia since 1994 when he was running the Internet World conferences. He has consistently had a vision of what was coming over the horizon and has bulit businesses to take advantage of it. I am really pleased that Jupitermedia is one of my affiliations.

Jupitermedia (NASDAQ: JUPM) is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut and provides global real-time news, information, research and media resources for information technology and Internet industry professionals. The company is at the center of what is going on with the Internet and related technologies. Their opinions and the information they gather is provided via portals that include internet.com, EarthWeb.com, and a network of over 150 Web sites. Jupitermedia also has 200 e-mail newsletters that generate over 200 million page views monthly. Jupiter Research is a new part of the company and they provide business and technology market research in 18 business areas and 9 vertical markets. Jupiter Events include nearly 40 offline conferences and trade shows focused on IT and business-specific topics. They have recently held conferences on WiFi and Grid Computing, two of the topics in my top five list of the next big things. There is much more about Jupitermedia on their web site on the "About Jupitermedia" page.