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Here’s a quick roundup of several items about blogging that caught my interest over the last month or so…

TOP OF THIS LIST: Why Would Companies Buy Bloggers?, by Jeremy C. Wright, Ensight, Nov. 29. This article is brilliant, and it’s motivated me to start actively marketing myself as a blogger-for-hire for the right organization. If your organization is interested in my blogging services, e-mail me. (Thanks to Radiant Marketing for this link.)

Read the rest of this list…

1. More on blogging for a living: Paul Chaney of Radiant Marketing Group has what I think is a really smart idea. He’s suggesting a new organization, an Association of Professional Bloggers. Here’s how he defines the field: “Professional bloggers, imo, are those who a) consult with companies to help them see how business blogs can be used as effective tools for both internal and external communications, and/or b) who actually contract with or are employed by companies to blog.” Count me in, Paul!
2. Heineken Launches Podvertising Campaign, MicroPersuasion, Dec. 10. If you’re involved in PR, marketing, or advertising and you haven’t yet gotten familiar with the new world of podcasting, it’s time to get started! I think there’s a ton of potential here for mutually beneficial advertising and PR, especially through sponsorships. Get ahead of the curve on this one.
3. PRWeek Q&A with Steve Rubel: I think Steve Rubel’s MicroPersuasion is one of the best blogs on the web. I’m always learning something new and valuable there. I suspect he’s now getting a ton of new traffic because on Dec. 9, the major industry publication PR Week ran a lengthy and interesting interview with Steve. Great stuff!
4. How is PR communication changing? Over at Corporate PR Elizabeth Albrycht wants input on this topic in preparation for a January 2005 “blog week” (online event) for the International Association of Online Communicators. (Thanks to PR Opinions for this link.)
5. Community doesn’t sell, by Scott Moore, Phoom! Excerpt: “Don’t market the word ‘community.’ Community is a term that is subjective to the people who are participating in that ‘community.’ It’s not up to the host of any social space to declare that someone else is or is not a part of the community.”
6. Mazda’s faux blog flops: Marketers, take note: Even fake blogs need real content. Apparently in October Mazda created a stealth blog intended to generate buzz. However, it offered little content besides a couple of rehashed Mazda TV commercials. Pretty transparent – and lame. I’m not surprised they pulled the site after attracting considerable criticism. To be fair, not everyone trashed the blog. Eric Rice liked it. (Thanks to Steve Rubel for this link.)
7. Internet Marketing Motto: Be Useful, by Gerry McGovern, CMSwire, Nov. 29. Excerpt: “‘What about branding on the Web?” Every time I hear that question, I want to reach for the sick bag. It’s not that I don’t believe in branding, but rather that the person who usually wields that question is the last person you should ever let near developing a web branding strategy for your website. There is a huge role and a very bright future for marketers who truly understand web content, and know how to use it to drive profitable actions. Unfortunately, many marketers I meet are not rising to the challenge.”
8. How corporate blogs miss the point. In his Nov. 1 ClickZ article, What Politics Teach About Online Marketing, Sean Carton makes a key point about what’s wrong with most corporate blogs. He writes: “Many corporate blogs have devolved into informal press-release postings. Companies have forgotten blogs aren’t just news; they’re timely, opinionated news. That’s why we read them.”
9. New book: Writing Copy for Dummies, by Jonathan Kranz. I haven’t seen it, so I can’t personally recommend it at this time. But it sounds interesting for marketing folks. (Thanks to Ideas in Technology and Publishing for this link.)
10. Cool blog: Public Relations India. Talk about ahead of the curve! I love the tagline: “The yet-to-happen marriage of public relationsh and technology in India. Heck, they are not even dating!” Add it to your regular reading list.