I want to thank everyone who helped with the DFW Gala Relaunch party. To Tonie and Sarah for volunteering their time to speak. To Paul for flying down from Cleveland to help with the relaunch itself. And to Paul for the hundreds of e-mails and telephone calls organizing the contact lists and then contacting people and fielding calls (you get the idea, I couldn't have done it without Paul). To all of the fine editors and freelancers who took the time to come to the meeting. It was great to meet you all. I'm sure that I'll be seeing you again soon! For those of you who couldn't make it, there's always next time. We'd love to see you then.

I'm going on record. I think the DFW Chapter Gala Relaunch party was a success. Thanks to all of you.

Relaunching a chapter can be harder than starting a new one. I know about starting an ASBPE chapter. I was one of the charter board members of the Dallas Chapter in 2001. I wasn't the chapter's first president, but I have been around since the beginning. I took over as president in 2002 and have served happily since. I lobbied for the rename, knowing that the title "DFW" stands better for the Metroplex, while being labeled as just Dallas couldn't quite cover our diversity.

During this time, the DFW Chapter has developed into one of the best outlets for networking, knowledge and information for B2B editors and freelancers in the Metroplex. I truly believe ASBPE is the best fit for us as business editors and freelancers.

I am proud of everyone who has served on the board and has worked hard to keep the chapter together. During my tenure, a lot of other area chapters have come and gone, yet DFW has remained strong. That's thanks to you.

(Speaking of the board, we are still looking for a few more At Large board members if you're interested. Contact me or Tonie!)

I know what you're thinking: Jyme promised a meeting update tomorrow, which hasn't materialized. I will not make excuses, but I can sit at my desk and admire my brand-new network cable that now allows me access to the Internet and our work network AGAIN. See, good things happen to those who wait, or something abstract like that.

Now, to the recap!

I want to thank everyone who turned out for the Gala Relaunch of the DFW Chapter on Thursday, Sept. 28. Although it only seems like yesterday (which makes today tomorrow, so I'm on track, right?), it's been nearly two weeks since a bunch of DFW B2B media types gathered for food, fun and knowledge.

We had a great gathering of professionals from many different industries, but the focus of the knowledge part of the events was on blogs.

Incoming president Tonie Auer and Garden Center writer and mommy-blogger Sarah Martinez covered unusual ways that businesses can profit from blogs and why they are important. There weren't any official handouts, but here are two Web sites of note that continually were referenced in the talks:

• Tonie Auer's award-winning Web site www.armyofmom.com. Be warned: This is not a B2B site, so some content might not be suitable for all eyes and audiences. Instead, it's a personal one that has received more than a half-million hits overall and more than a thousand daily (yes, I meant, daily -- imagine what this could do for your magazine).
• Sarah Martinez's brain child and work-in-progress Road Pix, which started as a way to better use staff photos taken on the road in a more timely manner.

Again, I want to thank everyone who came. We'll be scheduling another meeting the first quarter of 2007. I say "we," although I am retiring as president at the end of 2006. Don't be alarmed! I'll still be around. I am staying on the local board as Treasurer and Immediate Past President. Plus, I've just made some great new friends and business associates in DFW!

I just wanted to say 'Thanks' to everyone who attended the gala DFW Chapter relaunch meeting last Thursday.

I think it's a great start to getting the DFW Chapter back together, with a lot of new faces.

Look for a recap tomorrow!