Microsoft's "Search Champs" Team

I wanted to clarify something about which I've gotten several e-mails.

Microsoft is starting a new "Search Champs" initiative, which starts out with an event on October 4 and 5. (You can read more about it at http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1663788,00.asp.

What I'm hearing is that there's one woman in this initiative, a lady named Liz who feels very alone at the moment. Several people have written me with various levels of concern that I wasn't invited as another female search wonk. And I've gotten an e-mail from someone who was going to write a flamefest on their blog criticizing Microsoft for not inviting other women besides Liz.

Putting aside the question of whether or not I should have been invited at all -- I'm just a goofball with a weblog -- I can't criticize Microsoft. They did invite me. However, they didn't give me a lot of notice, and as travelling to WA is a bit of a big deal (not all of us live on the west coast, you know!) I wasn't able to make it. So please yell at me for not being able to make their event, but don't yell at them.

If Microsoft ever offers again, and it doesn't require travelling a very long way at little notice, I'll be happy to pitch in my two cents or two neurons or whatever.

So Liz: sorry about that!

I guess this is as good a place to note that though I was not able to make the Microsoft thing, I am a member of the Yahoo! Search Advisory Council. I got permission to make that public, but I'm not sure what else I can say about it. NDAs and all that. Stay tuned.

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