• by Bill McCloskey , November 2, 2005

There are a lot of conspiracy theorists who are convinced the world is run by secret organizations like The Trilateral Commission, Yale's Skull and Bones Society, even the local co-op board. The online equivalent of these invisible confabs is the private, invitation-only, e-mail list. I know because, I must confess, I've founded two of them.

A couple of years ago I, along with a few other people, recognized the need for a club where online marketers could discuss issues facing the industry openly, in a noncompetitive way, without fear that their remarks would be quoted, released to the public, or even make their way back to their bosses. And so we launched The One Hundred Club (www.theonehundredclub.org), or as it is now affectionately known, The OHC. We limited the initial membership to 100 people who were top influencers in their field. Leading lights at agencies, publishers, select vendors, and Fortune 500 companies were invited.

Additional members must be nominated by someone already a member and must pass a screening committee. Anything is up for discussion, and the only rule is: what is said on the list stays on the list, just like in Vegas. Quoting anything said on the list to someone off the list results in immediate expulsion. And you MUST participate. If you haven't posted something meaningful in a while, you face the possibility of being purged.

Private discussion groups like the OHC and Admonsters serve a number of functions. Topics discussed include the usual job postings, and "does anyone know...?" There is also the "Witty Banter" threads, about nothing really than a way of blowing off some steam.

But mostly, the posts are deep and intense debates and discussions about the issues that online marketers face everyday. And the influence of these discussions is felt far beyond the confines of these simple e-mail exchanges. Right now, issues that shape the future of the industry are being debated and discussed by small groups of peers such as the OHC. My guess is that by discussing things openly, without the baggage of political fallout or pay-to-play committee memberships that plague our so-called trade organizations, these e-mail lists are probably wielding more ultimate influence than all the IABs and DMAs combined. And of course, our private dinners at the major trade shows are the ultimate intimate networking event. On Monday night, the OHC will have their Ad:tech dinner sponsored by Eyeblaster and Interevco.

So I mentioned I've started two of these lists. A few months ago, one of the OHC members who runs the e-mail division for a major agency wrote me, saying that people like him who work in the direct response area needed their own list to discuss the very unique issues facing them. And so a few weeks ago I launched The Inbox Insiders, a list dedicated to e-mail marketers. Already the membership includes CEOs and department heads of major e-mail service providers, agencies, and marketing departments, and discussions have blasted out of the gate. If you or someone at your company is in charge of your company's e-mail strategy and want to be considered for membership, drop me a line.