Ken McCarthy and I have shared ideas about online marketing since before the Web, when we would chat in threads on The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, also known as "The WELL."

McCarthy hosted the first conference on the commercial implications of the Internet in San Francisco in 1994. His work has evolved into The System Seminar, an annual gathering for online entrepreneurs with year-round support on the web. The next seminar is scheduled for April 27-29, 2007, in Chicago.

If something big is going down in Internet marketing, I usually hear about it first through McCarthy's newsletter, later through blogs or The Wall Street Journal. In today's two-minute video, McCarthy talks with us while visiting New Orleans to support the city, soak up some jazz, and tour our offices in the Bywater Tech Center.