Scott Cleland is President of Precursor LLC a consultancy serving Fortune 500 clients, and is Chairman of Netcompetition.org, a pro-competition e-forum supported by broadband interests.

FORBES: A Problem in Search of a Problem

So why team up with Shell Oil in the ARPA-E forum?

FORBES: Innovation in Energy: How Do You Bring Recognition and Money To Good Ideas?

Partial figures gathered by the International Digital Publishing Forum suggest e-book sales are doing well.

BBC: Sony to back open e-book format

E-mail is the worst forum for tackling these.

FORBES: I Banned All Internal E-Mails at My Company for a Week

The decision has also provoked a furious response from e-mailers to the No 10 website forum.

BBC: Science facility goes south

The European Gas Advocacy Forum, which is made up of eight gas companies - Centrica, ENI, E.

BBC: Coal-to-gas power shift 'to cut energy costs'