An open letter to mommy-bloggers everywhere

Dear moms,

I'm the guy that Jory Des Jardins referred to as "the suit" at the State of the Mom-o-Sphere breakout panel at BlogHer07. I'm also the guy who stood up in front of you and said, "on behalf of everyone in corporate America, I humbly apologize." (thanks for laughing at that.)

I apologized because the anger in that room toward the PR industry was palpable. You can't stand the fact that we bombard you with emails asking you to write about products, and we often don't take the time to even read your blogs to see if you might be interested. In our emails we try to make you think we read your stuff, but we get enough of the details wrong to let you know we're basically trying to do as little as possible for you to get you to do as much as possible for us.

What's funny is I don't really even pitch products to bloggers. I pitch issues. I typically pitch discussions with opinion and business leaders about issues that I hope are important to you. But PR is PR, and nobody else was standing up, so someone had to apologize.

I said I try to be relevant and respectful when reaching out to bloggers - I act as though I'm a guest in your home, and I read your blog to see if you'd even be interested in what I'm pitching. Some of you applauded, which was really nice and polite. But it was clear that more than a few of you were still unimpressed, even skeptical of what I was saying to your faces. Citymama took the industry to the woodshed. Yes, I do note the irony of an industry whose purpose is to strengthen clients' reputations has such a terrible reputation of its own.

We're accustomed to pitching mainstream media - it's their job to consider what PR flacks have to say, and it's not personal. We apparently haven't figured out yet that you're not mainstream media - you're a mom with a million things to do, and your blog is your outlet, your means of self-expression, and your connection to a larger community. To you we're essentially a cross between telemarketers and spammers. To us we're just fishing for a placement, and your blog is more relevant to us than we are to you.

What's truly sad is we know we stink at this. Entire blogs have been published dedicated to how bad some of our pitches are. We're not really doing much about it, though. I really hate to add one more thing to your never-ending to-do list, but a number of you have asked me how you make it stop, and sadly that will fall on you. So I'll risk the wrath of some of my colleagues and share some ideas for whacking the flacks.

First, you have to decide if you want us to contact you at all. If you don't, the first thing to do is put a note in your "about this blog" section of your sidebar that says something like, "sorry, I don't accept solicitations from PR professionals asking me to write about their products on my blog." If you do want to hear from us, demand respect and relevance. State your terms, like "send pitches to a separate email and I'll consider them for my product review site" or "I only want to hear from you if you're talking about products that I use" or "I only accept offers to place an ad on my site." If you don't want a bunch of text clogging your sidebar, write a post about it and then offer a link to that post in your sidebar. Make sure the flacks understand the rules of your blog. If you get a pitch from someone who hasn't read the terms of your blog, then you can do with them what you will.

Of course, this isn't going to keep many solicitors from sending you bad pitches. You can take progressive disciplinary action against flacks - and this is where you get to release your inner snark.

One way to do this is to simply put the flack in timeout. Reply to the email you get saying something like, "sorry, you were rude and disrespectful to me. I'm not your tool. For the next 30 days any email I receive from your firm or your client goes to a spam filter." Of course, while this may give you some satisfaction, this may not be a big deal to a PR flack since there's so many great mommy-bloggers out there the flack can just skip to the next one.

If you really want behavior to change, you have to make sure the flack realizes there's a meaningful downside to being sloppy. In politics, there's an old saying - "sunshine is the best disinfectant." That's what I think you should do here.

Some of the best PR pros in our business are talking about how discussions are moving away from blogs a bit and into social network utilities like Facebook, and how we'll have to send pitches to facebook pages if people stop reading emails. This means that the pitches we write will be public. But here's the thing: EVERY PITCH WE WRITE IS ALREADY PUBLIC.

That's right - the standards of the PR profession essentially tell us that anything we send to you can be printed verbatim on the front page of any newspaper in the country. So why not your blog? If you get a bad pitch and it really makes you angry, say so on your blog. Call the person out. Seriously - use their name, firm, and contact information. Don't tolerate this disrespectful behavior. Exert your power as a consumer, as a parent, and as a blogger.

Many of you might feel hesitant about this. Some of you might think slapping people back is inconsistent with the civility of the mom-o-sphere. Some of you might feel this is too rude, maybe beneath you. Maybe you just want to treat people they way you'd like to be treated. However, we're not talking about 5-year-old kids. We are talking about professionals who are engaging in unprofessional conduct. There should be consequences to this.

Don't want to clutter your blog with bad pitch complaints? Perfectly understandable. Then work with your friends in the mom-o-spere to create a new "bad pitch blog" - except this one is written by parents, for parents. Bad Pitch Blog meets Consumerist meets Mom101. You'll be able to track who the worst offenders are and call them out. I'd read that blog every day. (I hope I never see my name there, but I'd still read it.)

Finally, if none of this is working, there's always the "nuclear option." PR firms pitch you on behalf of their clients. If you get something that really crosses a line, contact the director of communications of the COMPANY and tell them that their PR firm is spamming you on their behalf, and you're planning to write about it. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, will stop this faster than a call from the client saying, "What the heck are you doing? We pay you to improve our image with parents, not piss them off."

I'll close by saying thank you - I really appreciated meeting so many of you and I learned a great deal. I'll have more to say about this topic. I'll also talk about how or why PR firms don't show enough respect to communities of color in the near future, which was also discussed at the panel. Please always remember that you're the person with the power. It's your blog, it should be your rules.

Sincerely,

David Wescott (a.k.a. "the suit")

The women bloggers are talking, are we listening?

I managed to attend a good chunk of BlogHer07 this weekend, and learned a great deal. First, it was great to finally meet some of the women I've been reading and interacting with for a while now - Liz, Kristen, Julie, Catherine, Jenn, Leah, Penelope, and a few others - and to meet a lot of smart and interesting bloggers who take their writing and their role very seriously.

Second, I appreciated getting an education on the issues these women care about most and the meta-issues they're experiencing as they adopt the identity of "citizen journalist" and weigh options about monetization and commercialization.

Third, it was just cool to live-twitter a huge discussion with Elizabeth Edwards.

Finally, it was important to hear the wakeup call that Stefania Pomponi Butler issued to the marketing and PR professions. (I wasn't the person who issued the "money quote" she mentions, but I and other PR folks did meet her briefly after hearing Catherine talk about the state of the mom-o-sphere.) Mocha Momma had some important things to say as well. To be plain, many of these women are more than a little upset at the way the PR and marketing industry has treated them, and with good reason.

I'll be writing in much more detail about this over the course of the week - there's a lot to digest and share.

Welcome, BlogHer readers!

Hi there - if you've heard of my "bloging about blogging blog" from Blog Her, welcome!

I'm live-twittering the stuff I see here. It's been a great conference and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to meet some really smart bloggers.

I'll have more reflections over the course of next week. Meantime, feel free to browse. Thanks for visiting!

Lame Social Media Simile of the Week

The blogosphere is like Britain's Got Talent. Or America's Got Talent, or American Idol, or whatever those shows are. I don't really watch television.

Yes, profoundly stupid, I know.

But I found this on Dr. Brayer's blog, who found my blog after inagural BBE author Paul Levy linked to me. These talent shows give everyday joes a voice, and while much of it is just ordinary stuff, every now and then you find a Paul Potts. You know, like how the blogosphere facilitates the rise of Heather Armstrong or Frank Warren.

So sing, chubby British mobile phone salesman, SING!

Today's bad idea: banning bloggers

I've given presentations to foreign government agencies on blogs and social media. My advice (among other things): don't do what Kentucky may have done. Here's a local example of why it's almost never a good idea to restrict or shut down a blog, following up on yesterday's post.

If Michael Inman is to be believed, it seems political censorship is alive and well in the Bluegrass.

Inman was the commissioner of technology for the Commonwealth. Mark Nickolas was the author of Kentucky's most popular political blog, Bluegrass Report. Nickolas didn't like Inman's boss, the Governor, and said so often. It's no suprise his writing irked more than a few people in Frankfort.

Nickolas' now-defunct blog, Bluegrass Report, was a regular read in the state house - until it wasn't. The state acknowledged restricting access to the site, along with a number of other sites, because it was regarded as non-essential to work. Apparently the problem was several political blogs with closer ideological ties to the party in power remained unblocked.

Nickolas, of course, donned his "banned in Frankfort" label as a badge of honor and used it to gain an even larger following, filing a lawsuit and getting mentions in global media. I remember reading about this whole episode and, to be candid, feeling somewhat suspicious about it. (I'm a Democrat, and as my sidebar shows, I've interviewed Nickolas for my column. I thought he was smart. So consider that as well.)

Here's where it gets interesting. Not long after the censorship dust-up, Nickolas gets indicted for failing to pay a rental car bill. Seriously - a judge issues a bench warrant for his arrest over a rental car bill. Then the local paper reports Nickolas was sued by a horse farm owner over another financial matter. Of course, the warrant is eventually canceled and the horse farm owner tells the media the lawsuit is really not a big to-do, but the damage is done. Not long after that, Nickolas decides to leave the state.

If the state government hadn't banned the blog, Nickolas might be known as just another loud-mouthed scofflaw who doesn't pay his bills. But because the state chose to elevate his profile, he's a first-amendment martyr and the victim of a political conspiracy. Now Inman is filing affidavits and lending credibility to Nickolas' story.

And since we're talking about the blogosphere here, this prompts bloggers to look into things, like whether the horse farm owner's name shows up on a list of people who recieved hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal support while the Governor was a Congressman.

Just so I'm clear, I don't think the horse farm owner ever did anything wrong. I also seriously doubt that a horse farm owner "pro-actively" called the media about his lawsuit. I'm guessing he got a call from a reporter who received a tip, and then he tried to downplay the situation like a gentleman would. He's probably as much a victim in this as anyone, and probably just wants what he's owed.

As a post-script, Nickolas is now off doing his thing in the Rockies. Nobody has really picked up where he left off in Kentucky - covering state politics from a rabble-rousing Democrat's perspective.

I think the Governor would have been better served if he simply re-iterated existing policy and started enforcing it. State employees know their web use can be monitored, and they shouldn't use state computers for personal use. If a political blog is "personal use" - frankly, I think a case can be made that reading political commentary is part of a political staffer's job - then issue a warning and then take disciplinary action if an employee is caught.

It doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat - banning political sites is usually more trouble than it's worth. If I'm the Governor's technology advisor I tell him the resources we'd spend targeting and banning individual sites could probably be put to better use. If I'm his political advisor I tell him that banning Nickolas' site on state computers only raises his profile and gives a critic a bigger audience.

Group blogs are not political committees

John Bambenek has filed a complaint with the FEC alleging that liberal super-blog Daily Kos is a "political committee" and therefore subject to the FEC's stringent rules on communications and finance. This would have the effect of significantly curtailing the discussions on that blog (half a million daily readers and counting), possibly shutting it down.

I don't know Bambenek and can't speak to his motivation, though he provides some explanation here. I do think he's wrong on the facts and the law, and I think this is an issue the FEC has already considered and settled.

I find it fitting and appropriate that the blogs jumping to Kos' defense on this issue are top-tier conservatives like Instapundit and Red State.

This defense isn't indicative of some secret gentlemen's agreement between the top blogs on the left and right to skirt proper regulatory authority and make a buck. This is everyone coming together to recognize that the political discussions they've started over the past few years are a vibrant and vital component of democracy.

Even if the only thing we read on political blogs is the expletive-laden description of the latest outrage from the other side, we should take great steps to protect that speech. Protecting political speech and discussions that criticize the government is the precise reason we have the first amendment.

Furthermore, we're forgetting the incredible progress we've made in such a short time in terms of accessibility to candidates. Look at all the chatter about the "Youtube debates." The mere existence of new information technology has not suddenly transformed the electoral process into a global discussion. We needed thought leaders to show us the way, and that leadership has come from bloggers who applied this technology to provide unprecedented access to the political process for millions of citizens. This is a fundamental, cultural shift - "ordinary" people are beginning to feel a level of ownership over the process. This can only be a good thing.

If you look at the big picture, the most important discussions are just starting. Let's let everyone have their say.

Best Blog EVAH: 38 Pitches

In honor of Jon Lester's inspirational comeback, I'll recognize one of his teammates for a Best Blog EVAH - Curt Schilling's now-famous blog, 38 Pitches.

OK, this one was easy, and now I look like just another homer 'sox fan who's crushing on Curt Schilling. (full disclosure: go sox, and I freakin' LOVE Schil. he works hard and he cares, so give the man credit.) But 38 Pitches is another great example of a person who has a brand and has used the blogosphere to protect that brand from perceived inaccurate or unfair treatment from the traditional media. It's a great case study.

Schilling follows in a long and proud tradition of Red Sox greats with sports columnist rivals. Curt Schilling's arch nemesis isn't someone from the Yankees, it's a Boston Globe columnist named Dan Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy has opinions about Schilling that aren't always flattering and has plenty to say about it in his columns. I doubt Shaughnessy was the only reason Schilling decided to speak for himself rather than through the media's filter, but I'm sure he was a big one.

But here's the thing: Schilling isn't the first athlete with a blog. He's not even the first baseball player with a blog. Why is his blog, and not others, a BBE?

First, it's authentic. Unlike some athletes' "official sites," you can tell his posts were written by him and not a PR flack like me - and it's not covered with flashy ads saying, "buy something with my name or number on it." (he has a link to a business of his on the site, but it's really not over the top.) He's also using wordpress, which also gives him some street cred with the open source techie crowd. So, CEO crowd: if Curt Schilling, who's legendary for the amount of time he takes preparing for games, has the time to blog, so do you.

Second, and this is big - it's a conversation, not a lecture. There are positive as well as negative comments on his blog and that's ok with him. He's interacting with his fans, much more than any sports columnist can in their given media. Companies can't panic every time a comment isn't 100 percent positive and lock down a blog, or they'll look like they're putting up walls between themselves and everyone else.

Finally, it's strategic. He started this blog for a reason - to get his unfiltered thoughts out - and he's stuck with it. He hasn't vented once or twice. He hasn't kept this out there as a defensive, crisis communications tool. He's doing exactly what he set out to do. Blogs aren't everything, but they're great when used for the right purpose.

It's also nice that he uses his celebrity and his online space to support his favorite charities, SHADE and ALSA.

When Dan Shaughnessy learned about 38 Pitches, he mocked Schilling. Now print is declining while online is ascending. I'm a huge sox fan and I read 38 Pitches more than Shaughnessy's column now. Since I live in Kentucky, I really can't get a paper copy of the Boston Globe. So if Shaughnessy decides he needs to write a blog to keep up his readership, he has to eat some crow first.

I guess we mock what we don't understand.

Of course, when Schilling or some other social-media-savvy player (or fan) decides he wants to twitter from the dugout, will MLB crack down like the NCAA did against bloggers?

Are we ready for a woman president?

Because apparently India is. It's a largely ceremonial position there, but historic nonetheless. Of course, India and neighbor Pakistan, despite what many in the west say about their religions and cultures, are no strangers to women who lead their countries. Opinions differ about the jobs they did, but it's an important point. Women can lead in places like Chile and Finland and even Liberia, and of course the UK, but for some reason we in the US feel compelled to ask the "are we ready" question.

The question I think we should be asking: why is it, whenever a woman is elected president in a country, she adopts the moniker "iron lady" of that country? I suspect that really says more about us than the women presidents. I think that's a question I may explore with PunditMom, one of the blogosphere's resident experts on things like that.

Posting will be light this week (just stuff I've drafted before that's waiting to be posted) because I have a lot going on, both personal and professional. But I'm still looking at potential Best Blogs EVAH and working on some things with Brad and the gang that will shake things up a little.

Beyond Bizlex: Elisa Camahort

As a co-founder of BlogHer and an online communications entrepreneur in her own right, Elisa Camahort is clearly one of the more influential and innovative people in the blogosphere. Planning and running a conference for an organization that serves 12,000 bloggers is no simple feat, and requires substantial work over several months. Elisa was very gracious to take the time to provide some very thoughtful answers to my questions for the bizlex column. You can tell by her answers that she's done this whole interview thing before. Sharp.

What is BlogHer?

BlogHer is an organization whose mission is to create opportunities for education, exposure, community and economic empowerment for women online. To that end BlogHer puts on conferences, hosts a vibrant web community hub and maintains an advertising network.

BlogHer's Annual Conference is the largest blogging conference in the world, and between that, our new topic-focused conferences and regular meet-ups we provide the opportunity for bloggers to connect face-to-face, both to form tighter community bonds, but also to get in-person and in-depth education about all things blogging.

At our community hub (http://blogher.org/) our 12,000 members have listed almost 10,000 blogs in the directories, and we have 50+ editors who round-up and link to the best blogging going on in 25+ topic areas every week. This provides regular exposure to both well-known and unsung women's voices in the blogosphere. The community hub is also a plce for the community to convene on a daily basis, whether in comments or the Forums to drive the conversaations they want to have.

The BlogHer Advertising Network provides a way for women bloggers of all sizes to work together to get more value for the quality writing they're producing. BlogHer manages the technology and does the selling, while the bloggers can focus on doing what they love: blogging. By providing quality guidelines and consultative work on how to engage our network, we also provide the advertisers with a more reliable and higher quality engagement. The Ad Network is entirely optional, and is managed at another site (http://blogherads.com/) so that those members who have no interest in it don't have to be.

Have you seen women leverage their membership in BlogHer to build or promote their own businesses or to strengthen their position as consumers?

It's obvious that since BlogHer '05 women bloggers have started to realize their power as not only consumers, but as influencers. Women continue to control over
80% of the household dollar on purchases ranging from groceries to cars to consumer electronics. Our advertising network is only one way that women are leveraging BlogHer and their blogs to promote themselves and create a business. There are women with blogs of all sizes in the advertising network. One of our largest bloggers is going to buy a house with her ad network income. Other bloggers find that their ad network income buys each month's groceries for their family. Still others feel ratified to earn even small amounts of income simply because they write.

But there's more than that: We know women who have gotten jobs through BlogHer, who have formed joint ventures through BlogHer, who have gotten their "dream job" after using the lessons of BlogHer to create and promote something about which they were passionate. There is a heavy networking, both online and off, element to BlogHer...and we know networking is a key to advancement and opportunity. There are also a significant number of ways that BlogHer creates the opportunities for members and attendees to promote themselves and their platforms to a wider audience than they already have...and we know that self-promotion and branding is another key to advancement and opportunity.

What did I miss at BlogHer Business?

You missed sharing insights and information with nearly 200 people focused on social media and how it intersects with the world of business. You missed case studies from companies as big as Wells Fargo to as small as individual consultants who have built a brand and reputation using social media. You missed a series of sessions that featured a high level of interaction and active conversation, and were each focused on providing practical, specific information on *how* to investigate and implement social media strategies. You missed insights from the Editor-in-Chief of Redbook Magazine, the President of iVillage, the CEO of Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive, and the women who manage Google, Yahoo and Cisco's corporate blog initiatives. And in true BlogHer style you missed hearing insights from a business blogger with a baby in a sling and a business blogger with a chihuahua in her bag and even a few male business bloggers. You also missed a fabulous cocktail party with massages, a Yahoo! ice sculpture and Yahootinis for all!

What are your goals for your meeting in Chicago this summer?

Our goal is to bring together the many blogospheres that exist and for a few short days create the opportunity for us all to find common ground and learn from one another, no matter how different our blogging interests may be. Our goal is to provide the opportunity for bloggers to get hands-on education with various blogging tools and technologies, to meet bloggers who are both part of and completely apart from their existing blogging communities, and to have rich, interactive discussions in sessions that cover the breadth of the blogosphere, from the personal to the professional to the political. And I have to mention that our goal is to keep the price very very low for our attendees (Just $99/day), so that as diverse a blogging crowd as possible can make it...and so our goal is to work with sponsors to give them the opportunity to support this community of women bloggers to help us achieve that
goal.

So that's the "beyond bizlex" for this month. Again, I want to thank Elisa and all of the women bloggers who have shared their thoughts with me and taught me a great deal about how this stuff really works. I hope my colleagues in the industry will put their iPhone crushes on hold and drop the twitter vs. pownce debate for a few minutes and just listen to what these women have to say -- I think they'll learn something as well.

Beyond Bizlex: Liz Gumbinner

I introduced myself to Liz (and her blogging compatriot Kristen) last year in an email entitled, "Actually, Gloria Steinem may want your number after all." The love-fest between GreenStone Media and dozens of women bloggers that followed was beyond anyone's expectations, but know this - it all started at Liz Gumbinner's Mom101.

Liz is the award-winning Creative Director at David & Goliath advertising. They're based in LA, but she lives in New York. (Move to Boston, Liz. They have a better baseball team.) She's the co-founder of Cool Mom Picks - you know, the one that gets mentioned in Time and Advertising Age, not to mention by my wife and her friends. She will be speaking at BlogHer on the "Professional Blogging: Art and Commerce" panel, so I hope the Q&A she provided for my bizlex column serves to spark everyone's interest.

Why do you blog?

Because it's there. (haha)

My personal blog, Mom101, is like having a newspaper column with no editor. And no guidelines. And no pay. I use it both to document events in my life as a mother, and to explore various aspects of parenting culture that facilitate provocative discussions with dozens of people I have grown to respect and admire. While the community aspect of blogging was secondary to me at first, it's definitely grown to be an essential part of the experience.

How did you decide to go into business with Kristen and the gang?

Kristen emailed me about this idea she had to start a blog just to promote some of the great products she was seeing around the blogworld that were made by moms. It was called Cool Mom Shit. I of course jumped right in and demanded a 50% split and for some crazy reason, she agreed. Our first business decision together however was to go with a name that was a wee bit less PR-restrictive. Thus, Cool Mom Picks. I never could have imagined how big it would grow and how quickly, with a mention in Time and magazines like Real Simple picking up our content.

How have folks at your "other" job reacted?

My ad agency colleagues have been amazingly supportive of CMP submitting friends' businesses as potential "picks" and forwarding on potential pr and business opportunities. Although I must be honest, I think a few of them thought I was doing some "cute little website project" on the side, until we were featured in Advertising Age in February. I even have a few co-workers who read my personal blog. It's probably what keeps me from writing anything that could get me dooced.

Has there been any overlap?

Plenty. Now that I finally know that "html" isn't pronounced "hatemail" I think I've gained some more credibility with our interactive department. I've also tried to ncourage clients to explore blog-related marketing and PR efforts, although admittedly without a whole lot of success just yet. But I'm not giving up.

What do you enjoy the most about blogging?

I love the freedom to write whatever I want, however I want to. There's no such thing in advertising. Or most fields to be honest. I can't think of another writing venue in which you really have total carte blanche. Maybe stand-up comedy. And there's no way I'm doing that.

What advice would you give women who want to achieve some level of financial independence and are thinking about using blogs?

I think as with any profession, do what you love and the money will follow. If you set out to blog to make money I think there will be something inherently disingenous about your writing and blog readers can sniff that out in seconds. But if you find your voice and stay true to yourself, there are plenty of financial opportunities that will follow.

You'll have to hear me come speak at the BlogHer conference about balancingart and commerce for the rest of this!

One final post before I drag this "beyond bizlex" thing into the ground: tomorrow, Elisa Camahort, co-founder of BlogHer.

Beyond Bizlex: Kristen Chase

Kristen Chase's flagship blog is aptly called Motherhood Uncensored. She's not shy about sharing what's on her mind. Don't click on the link if you're uncomfortable reading a rated-R blog; try her rated-G Mom Trap instead.

And yet companies line up to work with her, and slap their brands right next to the condom box on her blog. Kristen has assembled an impressive network of media properties that emphasize the strength of the community she's built and her own online street cred. People read her blogs and listen to her radio show because she's smart, funny, and authentic, and she talks about the things that moms care about most. Companies that can handle the huge picture of the condom box quickly learn the value of working with properties like Parent Bloggers Network (I have) or simply paying attention to how she leads - no, creates - discussions her Blog Exchange. I honestly think the media network that signs her up (I think it has to be something in sattelite radio, online or cable) won't be sorry. Here's what Kristen had to say to me for my Business Lexington column:

Why do you blog?

I initially started blogging to connect with other people through my stories about motherhood. Being a new mom stuck in a house with a really cranky baby left me desperate to interact with anyone who didn't find motherhood to be a glamourous, soul-saving endeavor. The community of blogging has embraced a side of me I never knew existed until someone handed me a baby (oh if it were only that easy) and a
keyboard.

When did you discover you could make money doing it?

I really stumbled upon the actual ad revenue of blogging thanks to a fellow well-connected blogger who took me under her wing. With her guidance, I ended up signing up for an ad network and suddenly I was getting a check at the end of each month. As far as writing-for-hire, I was very fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. I applied for a blogging position at Clubmom, and through both that blog as well as my personal blog, I've been afforded opportunities that have turned into paid columns and other freelance writing gigs.

Separately, I saw a niche for a shopping blog with savvy writing and cool products, many of which were made by moms who had decided to give up their busy careers for life at home with their kids. What started as a way to connect mom-trepreneurs with an audience turned into another way to provide an income source for my household.

How has the Internet helped you build relationships and global businesses?

The internet makes the world incredibly small and accessible. It seems that in this world, particularly blogging, everyone knows everybody else somehow, thus allowing for countless connections with people I would have never known had I not been blogging. Plus, anyone who's anyone is blogging these days.

Is this something you'd like to do long-term?

I imagine I'd like to see where the blogging platform can take me. Spending my days tied to the computer has become a bit tiresome, but when I feel as though all my energy is drained, I can step back, take a break, and return refreshed and renewed. The ability to make money working from home and doing something that I enjoy seems incredibly wrong. But also, amazingly satisfying. But that's not to say I wouldn't be open to trying other things.

What advice would you give moms who are starting out?

Write from your heart and tell your stories. And read blogs. Persistence and good writing will take you far. And your children will thank you later in your life (at least you hope they will and not be terribly embarrassed).

Next up: Liz Gumbinner, and then Elisa Camahort.

Beyond Bizlex: Julie Marsh

One of the limitations of the "traditional media" newspaper column format is you're limited by column inches and valuable discussion contributors sometimes don't get their say. My column in this week's Business Lexington mentions global mom-trepreneur Julie Marsh, co-founder of the Parent Bloggers Network, but the discussion we had didn't survive the last round of edits.

I've pitched Julie on ideas for her posts and I've worked with her Parent Bloggers Network on behalf of clients. I hadn't worked with PBN until after I submitted the column. (By the way, Julie made a little announcement on her personal blog, Mothergoosemouse, yesterday. Drop her a note if you'd like.)

Another important reason Julie is a leader in the blogsphere is her passion for politics. Brad directed me to an outstanding piece written by BlogHer Political Director Morra Aarons for techPresident that everyone should read.

Of course, the fact that women are moving online in greater numbers is just the beginning. Online issues management professionals see the same trends Morra Aarons does. The best in this biz aren't simply looking at women as an audience - the best are looking to women to lead discussions and drive opinion.

As the author of Imperfect Parent Magazine's Parental is Political column and contributor to the Soccer Mom Vote, Julie is clearly an opinion leader. But unlike many political blogs, Julie doesn't just scream at the "base" about how wrong or how bad the other side is. It's a combination of her own values and the mommy-blogger effect. She gets into substance and she follows the rules moms teach their kids, like "play fair." So while ideologues like Arianna Huffington or Michelle Malkin have throngs of people nodding in agreement with anything they say, Julie has one the largest audiences of "undecided" or "persuadable" politically-oriented people on the 'net. Guess who's opinion they value more?

Sometimes it's important to feed the base the red meat it craves. Julie's actually more interested in the food pyramid they've developed at USDA and may have some thoughts on it.

Julie approaches her online entrepreneurship in a similar fashion -- she's thoughtful, she works well with others, and she encourages a diverse range of opinions in PBN. Here's what Julie had to say to me for the column.

Why do you blog?

I began blogging as a means of regaining my sense of self after a series of sudden changes (most notably, moving cross-country and leaving my job of five years to be a SAHM). Now my reasons for blogging depend on which site I'm talking about, but overall, I do it because I love the interaction and the attention.

When did you discover you could make money doing it?

Enough money to upgrade from a Grande to a Venti now and then, or REAL money? When BlogHer invited me to be a part of their Ad Network a year ago, I was pleased to start receiving a small check each month. But I honestly was more excited about the potential exposure and traffic increases than the money. It was when Kristen and I launched the Parent Bloggers Network and received such an overwhelming response from both bloggers and clients that I began to realize the business potential of blogging.

How has the Internet helped you build relationships and global businesses?

My online relationship building began in 2002 with the Babycenter.com Working Moms message board. It was an incredible source of support and friendship, and after a group of us met in person in 2003, these reunions have become an annual event. My experience there led me to see the potential in blogging for an actual community. Because blogging encompasses an even wider range of demographics than a single message board, the sphere of influence is that much larger and the opportunities for collaboration are that much greater.

Is this something you'd like to do long-term?

Hell yeah. In my last professional IT position, I worked hard to demonstrate the value of technology to my clients. Sometimes they saw it; sometimes they didn't. I hated being beholden to someone else's budget and constrained by their limits of understanding. Working on my own or with trusted partners, I can do so much more to bridge the gap between technology and business than I ever could as a cog in Corporate America.

What advice would you give moms who are starting out?

Write about what interests you. Give yourself time to develop a style. Don't write anything about anyone that you wouldn't say to their face. Read other bloggers; comment when you have something insightful or witty to say. Click on comments from other bloggers - when you leave them a comment, tell them where you came from. Link, but don't be a whore about it. Learn some basic HTML. Join blog rings. Join BlogHer. Above all, remember why you started blogging (and it shouldn't be because you want to be the next Dooce).

I honestly thought that Julie's comments about working to bridge the gap between technology and business was the best of the original piece. But in a local business column where local people get priority, not everything gets published. At least not on paper.

Beyond Bizlex: the local women bloggers

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'm sharing the Q&A from the women bloggers I interviewed for my "living locally, working globally" column in Business Lexington. Today's installment - Alison Kerr and Sharon Tessandori, the "local" women bloggers.

Alison wrote a bit about how her blog is more a reflection of her personal interests. If you read her blog, however, you see the very clear signals she's sending to businesses and to consumers. She also spent some time discussing one of her favorite causes, net radio. Here's Alison's Q&A:

Why do you blog?

I started blogging as a means to express myself. I liked typing more than writing in a paper diary. For a time, my blog was like free therapy. Threeyears on I still enjoy it. It's like talking to a bunch of friends!

I noticed your blog is "ad-free." Why this position?

First, I don't like a cluttered blog. Second, I don't have the traffic it would take to earn any money if I did have ads on the site. Third, nothing is sacred anymore. I enjoy having a place that is free of corporate sponsorship. Of course, if I had a huge readership, my views on this would probably change. I do admire Dooce, who supports her family with her blog. What a dream job!

I also noticed you're a big supporter of net radio. Do you see this as supporting the small business against the big corporations, or are you just looking for outlets that have the programming you like, or is it a little of both?

It's a little of both. I've been listening to net radio for four years now,and I've heard music that never gets airplay on corporate radio, either here or in France ('cause I used to live there). I also hate the idea of huge companies like Clear Channel controlling most of the airwaves in this country. I don't want them to decide what I should be listening to. Internet radio is a bright spot in the music world.

Finally, does it creep you out a little that PR flacks are trolling the internet looking for bloggers to pitch? Have you ever gotten a request from a pr person asking you to write about a product or service?

Mmm...I wouldn't say it creeps me out. I know one blogger who occasionally writes a post about a product, and he gets to keep the stuff. He's gotten some cool toys that way! I've never gotten a request to do any PR. I would probably say yes, depending on the product, of course. I doubt it will happen, though -- again, I just don't have the readership that these people are looking for.

(note to the PR and marketing folks who read this blog -- Please be nice to Alison.)

Sharon Tessandori is a small business owner who sets herself apart from the competition by blogging. (I met Sharon through my wife, who shares a mutual friend with Sharon. My wife used to teach yoga once a week at Sharon's studio.) Like most small business owners, Sharon was busy and only had a minute or two, and got straight to the point. She was very gracious and her comments demonstrate how important her customers are to her and how effective the blog can be to stay in touch with them.

Why do you blog?

To promote my eco-friendly yoga studio, share my thoughts about life and work, and showcase my photography. That hits on all the things. Blogging is like a great big conversation with the world. You never know who will be reading. And that is appealing to me. I also love that my yoga students keep up with the blog. Some of them offer support and encouragement by leaving comments on the blog and others comment in class, letting me know that even if they haven't been in class, they've been keeping up with what's going via the Barefoot Works Blog.

Tomorrow, I'll start sharing the conversations with the "global" mom-trepreneurs.

my wife is better at this than I am

Speaking of women leading the way on technology, my wife went to Canada this week and live-blogged a baby shower.

Women leading the way

My latest Business Lexington "living locally, working globally" column is about how women are leveraging social media to strengthen their position as consumers and build their own global businesses. Women are using technology to overcome so many of the obstacles that have historically prevented them from exerting their influence and creativity, both as consumers and entrepreneurs.

As I interviewed people and did the research for this piece, I kept thinking about how these were all creative and entrepreneurial people who have each experienced success in their own right. The technology they use isn't regarded as particularly sophisticated by the brainiacs at NASA, but because these women all use the technology strategically to harness their own creativity, they've all done some pretty amazing things.

I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have some educational conversations with these smart, funny, and entrepreneurial women:

Alison Kerr, Alithinks
Sharon Tessandori, Barefoot Works (her yoga studio website is here)
Kristen Chase, Motherhood Uncensored
Julie Marsh, Mothergoosemouse
Liz Gumbinner, Mom 101
Elisa Camahort, Blog Her

Alison and Sharon are local bloggers. Alison's got a wry sense of humor and a global perspective, which is really valuable in a place like Lexington. Sharon is entrepreneurial and yogic at the same time, which gives her blog a very positive and uplifting vibe. Both are outstanding photographers with flickr photostreams that are definitely worth checking out (Alison's is here and Sharon's is here).

And I hope I get all of this global mom-trepreneur stuff right -- Kristen and Liz founded and Julie contributes to Cool Mom Picks; Kristen and Julie founded the Parent Bloggers Network; Julie contributes to the Soccer Mom Vote and writes a column for Imperfect Parent called Parental is Political; Liz is Creative Director at David & Goliath, co-author of Booty Food and writes regularly for Time Out New York Kids; and Kristen also blogs at The Mom Trap, leads the Blog Exchange, hosts the Motherhood Uncensored radio show, and writes a sex column for Imperfect Parent called Mominatrix.

Now consider that Julie, Liz and Kristen each have two kids. Amazing, yes, I know.

Elisa is, of course, one of the extraordinary leaders at Blog Her. She is the founder of Worker Bees , writes a monthly column called "Silicon Veggie" for Metro and has a personal weblog as well, but I identified her above in the "official" role that I included in the column.

The Business Lexington audience is, of course, Central Kentucky civic and business leaders. Many if not most business leaders here don't write or even read blogs, so I have to include a little bit of background to set the stage when writing about blogging for a traditional paper. The column typically focuses on how global issues have a local impact, but the editor gives me a lot of freedom to explore things like the blogosphere.

However, the limitations of the mainstream media format are apparent here -- I'm limited to about 1000 words, so it's impossible to include all of the perspective and insight everyone shared with me. But that's why we have blogs, right?

So - in advance of Blog Her '07 - A World of Difference, the world's largest conference of bloggers slated for July 27-29 in Chicago - over the next few days I'll be posting the emailed Q&A from each person mentioned in the column.

Again, I want to thank these women for taking the time to participate in this and, frankly, for providing the hands-on education in social media that no PR professional has ever been able to match.

feeling irritable?

One of the cool things about working in politics and political communications is you get to meet people who don't think like you do but they're smart and funny and they earn your respect anyway.

While i don't agree with the irritable elephant's politics all the time, i know we agree on a few things. For example, the Red Sox are the best baseball team EVAH.

And Ronald Reagan had some of the best speechwriters EVAH. If you follow rhetoric and the art of communications, you have nothing but respect for the work they did, even if you don't always agree with the substance.

I didn't realize transparency online was a new idea

Todd Defren and Brian Solis are writing some pretty smart stuff about Robert Scoble's decision to ignore email pitches and pay attention to Facebook pitches instead. They're saying Facebook's very public format will force PR pro's to do a better job because their pitches will be public.

I realize I'm the new guy around here, but I thought we wrote pitch notes and emails with the understanding that they might become public anyway. I've handled the pitching I've done for mainstream media and the offline world the same way. If you don't want to look like a tool, don't write something foolish and then send it to someone else. However, I guess Defren and Solis have a point, since my blogging friends send me copies of the bad pitches they receive fairly regularly.

I'm not naive. In our industry we often work on sensitive communications issues that often call for discretion and confidentiality. In these situations, if you need to get information out in a targeted way, hopefully you've built relationships with people you trust. Journalists don't use terms like "on the record," "off the record," and "on background" simply for their own convenience. A lot of my work focuses on salient political or legal issues, and there are important reasons to use the the tools journalism provides us.

But here's the thing: many bloggers are journalists, but most bloggers aren't. You can't expect that your pitches and other notes to a blogger will remain private. If you're in online PR and you don't understand this, you won't be in online PR for long. I consistently tell my clients and colleagues if transparency or confidentiality is an issue then online outreach is generally not a good fit.

So if you're operating under these basic principles, you really don't have to change the way you work just because you're sending a pitch to a Facebook page instead of an email inbox. Frankly, I rather like the idea of being able to just pitch a client publicly on a well-traveled Facebook page like Scoble's.

Of course, now I'm wondering how often Scoble will want to check his Facebook page once it's flooded with what used to be in his email inbox.

I swear I had nothing to do with it

Brad sent me the latest from Time Magazine - it includes myspace among the "5 worst websites"and provides a reason for its fall from grace:

It seems the community has become infested with marketers and other opportunists who create false profiles and essentially spam other users, all under the guise of "making friends." Of course, there have always been loads of MySpace profiles of fictional characters, created to help market a movie or promote some other brand. But it's the bait-and-switch tactics from these leeches (Want to be my friend? Buy a ring tone! Fill out this survey!) that have taken things to a whole new—and sad—level.

It's the "under the guise" part that bugs me most. I guess we think we can't get your attention unless we pretend to be someone else...

again, where are the case studies?

Social Computing Magazine has another "top ten" list from yet another expert in social media with ideas to help companies "listen to customers and respond to needs."

Our expert's top ten "Web 2.0 technologies" include the following: "interaction," "personalization," "user communities," and "social networking."

That's right - four of the top ten "web 2.0 technologies" listed in an article published in Social Computing Magazine are not actually web 2.0 technologies. They're just web 2.0 buzzwords.

These concepts were not suddenly invented with the miracle of modern communications technology that has changed everything utterly and forever and this week is called Facebook or Twitter. (Or maybe that was last week, and this week it's Pownce, which may well be amazing but sounds a little too much like a brand of cat food for most of my clients to take seriously.)

These concepts were once called "grassroots organizing." And people did it well before we even had an internet. They still do.

Some of the technology tools out there help some companies do some of these things with some customers, but you need a STRATEGY and meaningful TACTICS that are consistent with that STRATEGY and METRICS to know you've done it.

I don't see any of that in this article. Other items on the top ten list include RSS, Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, Tagging, Wikis, and Podcasts.

Seriously. Is this really how we demonstrate our expertise in this field? By saying the word, "wiki?"

And how many case studies or examples of someone who uses a wiki or ANY of the "top ten" 2.0 technologies (of which 40 percent are not actually technologies) successfully are included in the article?

zero.

In fact, the only real substantive details shared in the article demonstrate how one of these "top ten" tools would be a BAD idea.

I'll readily apologize if someone from SCM or the company cited in the article can point to more detail that I missed. Since the article isn't bylined, maybe it's just a brief that glosses over the substance of this company's publication. But to be honest, a hastily-crafted laundry list helps noone. Something this important should go into considerably more detail.

Best Blog EVAH: Green Options

Green Options is the latest entrant into the "meta-green" blog genre where Treehugger currently dominates and tech-centric but still diverse Worldchanging and Ecogeek also play important roles.

Full disclosure: Green Options is not a client, but I've pitched them a few times on behalf of big corporate and non-profit clients with varying levels of success. I appreciate the fact that the writers and editors at GO are very good at responding to emails. And since I covered energy and trade issues for a US Senator for a number of years, I have a personal interest in the issues covered by the writers there.

I think they're still tinkering with design issues and may not yet be satisfied with the look and feel of the site. It's changed a few times over the past several weeks. But I'm hooked on GO because I think they're the next generation of news network that Richard Stacy approximated when he commented here way back when:

...the really big thing that has changed is that it now costs virtually nothing to distribute content whereas previously it cost a huge amount of money. The old media model therefore had to be a mass model. Now you don't need to be mass to be media - and this has turned the whole economics of the media on its head. There still will be a demand for mass content - but there is now a huge new competing media space which is based around the needs of, and produced by, the individual. This is a fundamental, game changing shift.

While individuals will certainly drive most of the content, I think the news network of the future will be specialized and feature globally dispersed groups of talented freelance contributors. Content will be community-focused, and it will take many forms. Overhead will be almost zero. To learn about the future of media, just look at Green Options today.


Green Options maintains a large stable of independent contributors who often write their own blogs and cover their own beats. Maria Surma Manka covers "alternate" energy such as solar power. Philip Proefrock is an architect who writes about green design and construction for Green Design for EcoGeek and GO. Brady Swenson and Alica Erickson write about global trade issues and have their own fair trade business. These writers obviously add value to the group blog, but they also use GO to promote their own writing and financial endeavors.


GO isn't just an "online magazine." They offer an "e-course" to help people adopt a sustainable lifestyle without feeling like your entire life is made of 80% post-consumer content recycled cardboard. Podcasts? Yup, they got'em, thanks to GO's senior statesman, Max Lindberg. (and let's be honest, a green-podcasting septuagenarian is reason enough to be named Best Blog EVAH. Go MAX!) They've got a forum for readers to express opinions and ask questions, and they're busy building a community. It looks like they're developing an agreement with EcoGeek to maybe start a little cross-polination as well.


It looks like GO is building sustainably for the long term.

Duncan thinks you're a tool

Duncan Black, author of the popular liberal blog Eschaton, sometimes likes to shed some light on what it's like to be one of those important people in social media who gets 600 solicitations a day. WE MUST LEARN FROM HIM:

I get about 600 emails per day to my blog email address, with very little of it being classic "Viagra and Nigerian scam" spam. I get lots of great info and tips, but I also get lots of other things. People email to complain about haloscan, or for other technical difficulties. People email to request I delete a comment they posted which accidentally revealed unwanted personal information, or to complain about people I should ban or the fact that I did ban people. Dozens of people add me to their generic "forward list," forwarding to me - and dozens of others - everything on the internets they find interesting. I get criticism, with some of it being thoughtful and interesting commentary on stuff I've written, but much of it is of the "what you should do with your blog" flavor. That is, people who insist that their priorities should be my priorities, that their interests should take precedent over my own.

Then there's being added to the press list of practically every campaign in the universe, along with those of every interest group under the sun. Plus the numerous people who request links to their organization or some focus on their issue, and that doesn't even include that fast swelling ranks of "word of mouth" marketers who spend their time trying to get bloggers to promote their latest whatever.

There's also the time spent trying to manage a community, which is actually a rather complex task that takes a lot of time even though it really benefits a relatively small number of readers. I love the comments community, and I'd be bored without it, but the fact is that the vast majority of people who read this site neither read nor participate in it.

Truth is I've learned a lot about "blogger outreach" by reading these types of things from Duncan. It's incredibly difficult for anyone to fight through the noise to get to him, and then it's just as difficult for him to find the time to address your concerns. His blog is a perfect example of where a paid blogad has tremendous value for the money. Furthermore, he will occassionally write about the things in his ad columns. And while you should make no mistake about his liberal political biases, he's thoughtful and smart.


Bottom line - Duncan does what he does because he likes it. He doesn't need attention (though he gets plenty) and he doesn't really need a ton of money. He's not a journalist who worries about both sides of an argument, and he's completely up front about that. Most importantly, he realizes that his blog is not simply about him -- it's about the hundreds of thousands of people that read his blog every week, that offer input, and that act when prompted.


If you're one of those "word of mouth" guys marketing your "latest whatever," without buying an ad, you better have some really strong relevance to what he's doing or thinking because if you don't you're not getting past the trash.

an open letter to the French intellectual establishment

Dear really smart French people:

I was just in the middle of sending a note to tease my friend Chris about the Italians taking off their neckties to prevent global warming, when I learned the following:

President Sarkozy has fallen foul of intellectuals and critics who see his passion for jogging as un-French, right-wing and even a ploy to brainwash his citizens.

Apparently in France jogging = rambo or something really manly, which essentially means the downfall of everything French or something like that.

I'm American, which means I'm pigheaded and arrogant. But pigheaded and arrogant also = manly. Americans may not understand much, but we know "manly." So let me explain something to you about manly presidential activities:

Sailing: manly.

Clearing brush: also manly.

Skydiving: Crazy. But also manly.

So please realize that it could be worse for you -- but please also remember that there's actually very little downside to regular exercise.

Warmest regards,
David

oh, those crazy bloggers

While so many in our industry are rushing into the more ephemeral areas of social media, I still like to think the communications dinosaurs we commonly call "bloggers" continue to play a critical role in communications. (Call me old fashioned, I guess.) But I'm still seeing companies and organizations preferring to avoid bloggers, particularly political bloggers, for fear that their crazy antics or the fact that they use four-letter words will subsume their message. "Bloggers are radioactive."

I tell companies (and many of my colleagues) there's more harm in ignoring bloggers, because if your issues are reasonably salient they'll be talking about you anyway. The example I typically give is Americablog.


Full disclosure - I've known the guys who write Americablog for years. John Aravosis is a great pal from way back. These guys rail against all sorts of issues, and they take a decidedly left-of-center position. They've launched online campaigns that have taken down tv shows, compelled companies to change their positions on legislation, and cancel advertising campaigns that cost millions. They've raised thousands of dollars for campaigns in a matter of minutes. They're the real deal, and for many companies and non-profits, they're scary.


But take a look at a recent post. "Chris in Paris" is a bit miffed that a company had the financial records of 2.3 million of its customers stolen by an employee. He's upset that the Democratic Party in the US isn't making privacy a more important issue.

Then John, who has written about privacy issues too many times to count, adds an update:

I personally raised the issue with Nancy Pelosi.

When John says "personally raised the issue," he doesn't mean he sent an email. He doesn't mean he spoke to an aide. He means he had the full personal attention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States and put her on notice that this was an issue on which he expected action. Crazy, radioactive John meets regularly with leaders in Congress.


And you better believe Speaker Pelosi listened. Because John leads a network of over 150,000 politically active Americans who donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to political campaigns. John can reach them and prompt them to act in a matter of minutes. He's done it before. And by the way, John's not a political novice -- he's a Georgetown-educated attorney who's worked as a REPUBLICAN Senate staffer. He's also worked at the World Bank and Children's Defense Fund. He speaks five languages.


John's not alone. Political bloggers have the ears of the most powerful politicians in America. They're in the meetings most companies wish they had. Bloggers are the political elites and they are helping to guide policy.

If you want your issues to get in front of the Speaker of the House, one way to do that is engage John at Americablog or someone like him. It's as simple as that.

seemed fitting

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America


When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock
New Hampshire:Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts:John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut:Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York:William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey:Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania:Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware:Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland:Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina:William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina:Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia:Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Number 12 with a bullet

Ain't this a hoot.

Last week I name Paul Levy's Running a Hospital as my first "Best Blog EVAH," which I hope will be the first of many case studies of efficient and effective online communication I highlight here.

Then Kami Huyse, proprietor of My PR Pro and author of Communications Overtones weighs in:

Thanks to you I found Paul's blog and added him to the Heathcare100, a new blog ranking engine for healthcare-related blogs that one of my clients put together. I look forward to seeing where he ends up on the list.

Running a Hospital debuts at number 12.

So while Running a Hospital is a Best Blog EVAH, Kami is also a PR SUPAHSTAH.

A blogging foreign secretary?

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has named David Miliband MP as his new foreign secretary. My colleagues in the UK have said Miliband is one of the MP's Brown respects most. Miliband was the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Tony Blair's government.

Miliband is -- or at least was -- a very active blogger. And he may be inclined to continue as Foreign Secretary:

As you will have heard, the new Prime Minister has asked me to take on new responsibilities as Foreign Secretary. Of course I am honoured to take up this new post. The last 15 months have been hugely challenging and hugely enjoyable - and I hope we have made a difference. The new mechanisms for political engagement and dialogue represented by this blog are needed more than ever. Thank you for reading, commenting and arguing over the last 15 months. It may take some time for new service to be resumed, but please watch this space.

It seems Foreign Secretary Miliband has always been interested in pushing the envelope on social media. A number of other ministers in Blair's cabinet were concerned Miliband might start talking about issues beyond his official sphere of influence. His attempt to establish a wiki on the topic of environmental contracts was derailed. Yet he remained hopeful.

As Miliband moves into his new role as Foreign Secretary, however, the stakes are much higher. There is perhaps no field in existence where the precise choice of words matters more than diplomacy. Miliband's next blog - if he chooses (and is allowed) to write it - will be put under more scrutiny than perhaps any blog in history. Will such a blog become a critical diplomatic backchannel where the UK's official position on anything from environmental treaties to the war in Iraq can be tempered with an informal comment from the Foreign Secretary? If so, this can be a highly useful and effective tool at times. But we're talking about a Foriegn Secretary whose every utterance will be poured over, and he's operating directly in a medium where words travel instantly.

There are times when a personal journal isn't personal anymore. If Miliband's blog runs afoul of British foreign policy with so much as a quip, he'll be come the Dooce di tutti Dooces. It's not a stretch to suggest the comments on such a blog may stretch decorum beyond its breaking point. There are risks beyond what we can currently predict.

Still, I'm hopeful and excited that Miliband will at least try to continue his experiment. Diplomacy is perhaps the greatest discussion, and its one that has until now been restricted to the diplomats. Are we ready to open up the floodgates here? Time will tell. Meantime, I'll see if the foreign policy experts at LGM and elsewhere have thoughts.