Some local executives' blog postings

MONICA DOSS, president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development in Durham, http:// the-monica-chronicle.near-time.net/news

"At Home in the Kingdom of Carrberia (aka the Paris of the Piedmont)," Jan. 30:

Over the years, Richard Florida of the "Creative Class" fame and I have had the opportunity to talk and share notes on what it takes to make an entrepreneurial community. ... Now Richard has presented new research -- The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent -- which resonates with us. His three Ts that draw people to a city: Technology, Talent, and Tolerance are strengths here. With talented people choosing what are essentially "good places to live," rather than just "where the work is," the Triangle is favorably positioned.

I recently sent Richard a link to "It's Carr-boro" -- the "rap" video created by Billy Sugarfix, Brian Risk and other true believers -- explaining to him that Carrboro is Cary's "evil twin." He was -- to put it mildly -- awestruck: "In a word it is amazing. It is exactly the message our communities need to send, not to just to each other but to the world."

JOHN REPLOGLE, CEO of Burt's Bees,

www.burtsbees.com (click on "blog" under "Community" tab)

"Tending Our Garden," Dec. 6:

Thanks so much for sharing your love of Burt's Bees products and for providing great feedback. I noticed that many of you have inquired about specific products that have been discontinued. As any green thumb knows, a garden won't flourish unless you routinely trim the branches, nip the buds and pull the weeds. When we choose to discontinue a product, that's what we're doing -- creating space for new and better things to grow.

SCOT WINGO, CEO of Durham software company ChannelAdvisor, ebaystrategies.blogs.com

"Happy CyberMonday!!!" Nov. 26:

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! This is a pretty exciting time @ ChannelAdvisor as we're at the start of another holiday shopping season.

The servers are really humming today (and even started last Thursday which was a little earlier than last year). My theory is that gas prices, mall crowding, 5 a.m. doorbusters, combined with great online offers have driven more consumers online for shopping. We're already seeing some really interesting trends, and tomorrow we should have a full set of data on CyberMonday.

RYAN ALLIS, CEO of iContact in Durham, ryanallis.com/blog

"The 40 Business & Personal Lessons I Learned in 2007," Jan. 3:

11. Humans have a deep desire for love and affection in their lives. It is so nice to have someone to make you eggs and toast (metaphorically). One of the nicest experiences I had in 2007 was when a women I was dating made me eggs and toast for breakfast in bed. It felt so nice to have someone to care about you in that way. I've found that this desire for human affection and love can sometimes cause someone to stay with an individual that is just not right for them in the long term, if that person does provide support and affection.

LEE CONGDON, chief information officer of Red Hat, www.press.redhat.com

"Make Sure You are Planning For Mobility," Jan. 11:

Mobility has become a pervasive element of information technology solutions. Whether it's voice, e-mail, text messages, intranet access, applications for mobile devices, support for remote workers, or some other mobile feature, all information solutions are starting to exhibit mobility requirements. Many are already fully enabled for mobility. ... The IT department that is still trying to draw the line at the network firewall risks being left behind.