It's nearly impossible to attend an ad industry event these days without perpetual questions about the fate of the economy, and how it's likely to impact budgets, revenues, etc. But over five hours of discussion this morning, the "e-word" wasn't uttered once. There wasn't a peep about how oil prices and other macro-economic factors would trickle down and negatively affect email marketing.

Great first day at the Email Insider Summit! I think the general consensus was that the panel of students from Ball State Univ. was the highlight. But then marketers always lean forward and listen intently when customers speak on what they like and don't like.

Our friends at Exact Target rolled out some new research reminding us that consumers control the inbox. I was also reminded that the local police control the roads - getting myself a speeding ticket on the road out to Captiva last night. While staring with one eye at the driving directions and the other at the road, apparently left none to look at the speedometer.

Today's Just an Online Minute is all about last night's reception... Get the scoop here: http://blogs.mediapost.com/online_minute/?p=1742 You can also see the whole set of pix here: http://flickr.com/photos/mediapost/sets/72157605192580812/

We haven't heard corporate wordplay this clever in some time. Last year, a top Grey agency executive said he's aiming to create a "tra-digital" shop -- one equally proficient in old and new media.

Does the CAN-SPAM Act apply to unsolicited messages sent to social networking profiles? Looks like that's a matter of some debate -- and one the courts are sorting through.

The panel of Ball State students are getting a barrage of questions. The "pros" seemingly are chomping at the bit to take advantage of this focus group.

Ball State student August Miller finds it hard to believe that his iPhone plan limits him to just 200 text messages a month. And it does seem curious that for a device presumably targeted at a young and tech-savvy crowd, Apple/AT&T would place such a low cap on a behavior that's exploding.

Students from Ball State University affiliated with its Center for Media Design are offering the "pros" in attendance some insight into their media habits. An interesting topic they're mulling: Will the primary form of online communication in the workplace migrate from email to social networking platforms as people who grow up with Facebook join the work force?

The campus of the University of Mississippi is well known for having an 18 mile an hour speed limit. The whispered reason: That was the jersey number of Ole Miss' all-time great quarterback Archie Manning (father of NFLers Peyton and Archie).