Jumping back into the blog with a couple take-aways from Scoble’s move from Microsoft. In the event you’re one of the few who’ve missed it, Scoble’s departure set the blogosphere ablaze over the weekend. Yesterday Scoble was the #1 search on Technorati, ahead of the World Cup, and remains at #2 this evening. Beyond the love bantered about there are notable points about the news and the coverage of it. PodTech.net made the huge play many others surely had in mind. They took action and sealed a grand slam deal for any start-up. The score: instant credibility and visibility beyond their immediate communities. Wonder how many executives are kicking themselves today for not courting him more aggressively. Score another one for action besting inaction.
The story also presents another major case on the power of blogs. Not so much about the power of one blogger, which is obvious, but how a big tech story was scooped, covered and buzzed w/out the influence of mainstream media. Tom Foremski’s post earlier today covers the scoop in more detail.

Technorati Tags: Scoble, blogs, media

A common criticism of the PR profession stems from ill-informed, ill-prepared pitches  lobbed into  journalists  who are busier than ever.  Taking a page from Gawker’s playbook, bloggers are jumping into the ring to out PR folks who don’t make the effort to listen and learn before pitching their goods. A new site called  The Bad Pitch blog  amounts to an ongoing post of misguided media relations efforts fed by journalists to the blog’s authors.  Not to be outdone, B.L. Ochman also has a testy take today on the fundamentals of media relations and how to pitch her blog.  Although both include pretty brutal and personal beatdowns, there’s actually a noble cause to consider. They amount to a self-policing mechanism developing online that insures a baseline level of professionalism required as part of our work. Companies fork over lots of money to build relationships with the media and share stories that lead to coverage. Journalists expect to work with pros who know their pubs, beats and issues of interest before working a pitch. Those who bypasss the basics without respect for the true task at hand should expect to get their 15 minutes of fame online as similar sites pop up – before their clients show them the door.

There is a growing consensus among marketing prognosticators that companies must to think more like media companies to effectively reach consumers and key constituents. While it hasn’t reach a critical mass, the rise of blogs, podcasts and other branded content, coupled with the ability to offer this content easily, inexpensively and directly to consumers, makes this movement inevitable. Steve Rubel has a couple posts on the topic to check out – one that debates how soon “created media” will trump “earned media” and another today which suggests iTunes will put broadcast media bureaus out of business. Two good write-ups on the need to think like a broadcaster come include Mike Manuel’s PR 2.0 post as well as Randall Rothenberg’s New Year’s resolution.

Jon Fine writes on the erosion of Fast Company and Inc. Magazine’s  business.  The issues have undoubtedly gotten thin. Will they soon be gone?

BusinessWeek extended its blog beat to now cover automotive. Called The Auto Beat, the blog includes posts from leading BW auto writers including David Kiley and David Welch.  The idea of collaborative blogs written by mainstream media is an ongoing trend to address – especially when the content differs so significantly from traditional stories written by the same journalists.  We may get it, but we need to make sure executives understand how raw commentary may appear in reporter blog posts versus print or broadcast pieces.

Like CES, mainstream media outlets have joined full-time bloggers in full force to create running dairies of the North American International Auto Show. You can find everything you want to know about happenings at the show and state of the auto industry – if you can’t get enough through the mainstream media coverage. The far-from-incomplete list of blogs covering press week includes:

Jalopnik , Autoblog , Autospies , Edmunds , The New York Times’ Car Chase, CNET 

With the exception of the NY Times’ efforts, each pretty much replicates the avalanche of coverage already out there. Anybody see others out there that present a different take on the show, or alternative ideas for covering major events for that matter?

Rich Karlgaard highlights his terrifying Internet facts, particularly scary stats for marketers and media companies mired in past practices.

CBS News’ Public Eye Blog brings readers inside the news reporting process and now has taken things a step further. Buzz Machine links to CBS’s move to bring visitors to the blog inside editorial meetings to see what makes it or not onto their broadcasts.

Technorati Tags: Blogs, Media, Social Media

Issues tied to transparency, authenticity and reputation management are becoming more significant for marketers, brought to life through recent commentary, marketing programs, blogs and attempts at measurement.

If you haven’t read, Gawker launched The Consumerist, a blog that promises to help shoppers bite back against “shoddy products, inhumane customer support, and half-assed service.” Given Gawker’s prominence in the blogging community as well as the biting commentary that drives its appeal it should be a scary place for products and brands that don’t deliver the goods.

Modern Marketing posted today on Mozilla’s call for consumer testimonials on Firefox 1.5 – referring to the effort as “Open Mike” branding.” The blog raises the question all corporate executives and marketers should now ask themselves – what would people really say if you gave them a video camera and asked them to say exactly what they thought, without any censorship or direction, about your product or service? Time will come soon when consumers force that question to be answered, especially as more Consumerist-like sites and Dell-Hell bloggers enter the fray.

Speaking of Dell-Hell, a group out of the UK developed a whitepaper showing how Jeff Jarvis’s relentless ranting on Buzzmachine was influential in shaping impressions of Dell’s customer support. While determining the impact of blogging on brands and reputations is an admirable call, Jarvis and others are questioning the validity of this group’s work, including The Consumerist in a post tonight.

Technorati Tags: Blogs, Social Media, Open Source Marketing, Reputation Management, PR

Jonathan Harris’ has followed-up 10×10 with a new project called Phylotaxis. Similar to 10×10, it organizes and visually depicts news in a highly dynamic way – in this case content displayed across a spectrum of science and culture. The interface is so elegantly designed you can actually “feel” your way through the content. Link from Influx.

Technorati Tags: Media