I’ve done enough presentations about web 2.0 to see that the sessions tend to fall into one of two categories: revival meeting or therapy session. This week, I experienced both.

Most of my web 2.0 sessions are with marketers from big B2B technology companies and I often experience deep cynicism, even anger, from people who question whether web 2.0 has any value for marketing. I present the usual stats showing web 2.0 taking off generally, and ITSMA research showing increased uptake by their peers in B2B. But it doesn’t sink in. Being more of a content guy than a heckler handler, I tend to let the venting go on too long and try to address their points one by one. By the end, everyone is frustrated, including me.

But yesterday, I finally figured out what’s really going on here: fear.

I should have seen the parallel from all my years covering big IT projects–the anger that IT people absorb as they try to change the ways that people do their jobs. It stirs up some primitive emotions–and PTSD among IT people, who get frustrated with being the messenger at the receiving end of all those pot shots.

I’ve always counseled them to not take it personally, and to try to reach out to business people and let them vent their anger and get past it. But it’s hard. I get pissed when the venting starts, though I don’t think I show it.

Yesterday was different. I shared the stage with Marijean Lauzier, the CEO of Digital Influence Group, an agency that consults on Web 2.0. Marijean didn’t try to tit for tat the cynicism and saw what was behind it. When I asked her to address some of the “questions,” she took a long, dramatic pause and smiled.

Then she said: “They’ve moved our cheese! We’ve been doing what we’ve been doing for 20 years and now it’s all changing!” “Dr.” Marijean then proceeded to lead the group through the various stages of grief in the span of 20 minutes.

This is going to be hard. Web 2.0 is uncontrollable, always changing, and always on. We need time to get used to it. But as the good doctor said, we are all experts because we are expert communicators. It will come.

Thankfully, earlier in the week on Tuesday, I had my first revival meeting. This crowd was ready to go, full of enthusiasm and the frustrations were in the lack of success they were seeing in some early web 2.0 efforts, and lingering resistance from some internal skeptics. But everyone understood that there was no turning back. Because it’s not possible. The old media channels are crashing down around us.

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