With apologies to anybody who ever read the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro, Superman and Batman. While bizarre as a reference I will try and connect it to the theme of this blog. Where are IT professionals looking for green content when they are purchasing?  Firstly, green is still very relevant – even right now. In work we did globally in December of 2008 we checked the value of green content.

Let’s play with some examples. In the biggest organizations in the US your IT professional’s peers are most looking for green content in the following places:

All hardware purchases:

• The vendors sales person and sponsored seminars
  
• Data Center environments: Technology print, search engines and vendor events
  
• Laptops: Technology information websites, industry conferences, vendor events, vertical industry publications, sponsored seminars and microsites

In truth green is a significant issue and requires some real depth of information. Green is important and it is something that is bringing your colleagues to events or is being brought up in sales conversations.  IT professionals are seeking conversations about green, not short snapshots of green content. The implication here is quite simple – Green matters and it matters enough to drag your behind to an event or organization.

In another global study at exactly the same time (Dec 2008) IT professionals told us what sort of green information they are looking for in brands – Intel and others were measured. We funded the study to make it 100% independent.

The top green issues in India, for example, were the following:

1. Energy efficient products
2. Promotes a green image
3. Designs products that look green
4. Uses biodegradable components

What we have learnt is that green matters as a content area for IT professionals. IT professionals want content around energy efficiency and the fact a brand is up for promoting its green activities.  In an economically tumultuous time IT seems to care more and more deeply (attending events) about green than ever before. So, if as an IT pro you are following this trend, check with vendor’s positions and make sure they are making energy efficient products, but also seek the information in an environment where you can talk and question them and your peers.

The Intel Premier IT Professional program provides members with access to up-to-date best practices from IT leaders. One way we deliver that is through events in the US and Canada. Among the questions we ask attendees after each event is: How would you like to receive this type of information in the future?

With a growing array of media for you to choose from, F2F (face to face) events continue to be important to IT professionals. And I see other data points making the case for F2F in a digital world, like Tim Harford's column in the January issue of Wired (16.02). http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/magazine/16-02/st_essay

Of course, we can't deliver F2F events in every city, or dive as deeply on a hot topic as we might like. So we offer a 2x/year magazine called Intel Premier IT, webinars, online videos, an eNewsletter and more.

IT events are just one form of communication, but how are they holding up with you? Are you attending them more or less frequently than you did a year ago? What events, if any, have you attended this year that mattered ... and why? And if you have specific feedback for the Intel Premier IT Professional events or program we'd love to hear that too.