I don't think it really mattered in the particular deep background briefing I attended, but I do agree with Kevin that while the no direct quote rule does have value in that it makes people talk a bit more freely without just robotically spewing talking point, the no attribution rule is a bit more pointless.
But having said that, I attend these things occasionally when asked (not that I'm asked much more often than occasionally) not because I want to incorporate this kind of thing into the blogging I do, but just because I get to learn about how these things are conducted. It's more field trip to the Treasury to see what goes on at these things than a strong interest in listening to and reporting on the substance of them.
The other value is that while these are notionally Q&A sessions, they're also two way conversations and it's a bit useful for people in power to get some pushback from a different set of actors than the usual group of DC reporters.
