Are bloggers members of the “media?” That’s a tough question.

The blogging trend is still fairly new (in the grand scheme), and bloggers are as often considered “snarks in bunnyslippers” as they are legitimate information sources. In a recent tweet, Paul Gillin (who has the credentials to know) made a compelling distinction: “Most bloggers know more about a topic than reporters, who switch beats all the time. Reporters are resourceful; bloggers are knowledgeable.”

Geoff Livingston agreed: “Bloggers are not media, and should be treated differently. Different goals, readership, rules.”

In other words: the question of whether bloggers are media is moot.

Bloggers are DIFFERENT from the mainstream media. They are smart, expert, passionate, independent, talented, and cantankerous. They have their own agenda, whereas journalists (while they share many of the traits listed above) are beholden to a publisher’s agenda.

More to the point: whatever else ya call them, bloggers are influential.

We’ve evolved (quickly!) from a situation in which the mainstream media complained about having their content “scavenged” by bloggers, to an era in which reporters look to the blogosphere to vet the facts, themes & memes of their own prospective stories.

A so-called “hit” in a blog is often as valuable as a “hit” in a mainstream publication. (In fact, we recently placed a client story in a national morning show AND in the Perez Hilton blog, and consumer response to the latter outstripped traffic gains from the “big” hit in the mainstream outlet!)

So – no, most bloggers are not media. (I would argue, however, that blogs like TechCrunch, Huffington Post, etc. do meet that gold standard.) But, they are just as important as media. From PR pros, bloggers deserve and require different approaches that are more creative and respectful than anything that’s gone before.
The most common area where this “bloggers as media” question comes up is at trade shows. Do you give ‘em a press badge?

Yea, you set some minimum requirements for longevity and authority, but you do give them a press badge. They have knowledge, enthusiasm, a publication (of sorts) and readers. Those characteristics alone may not make them “press” in the traditional sense, but these are untraditional times: rather than penalize someone for not fitting established norms, why not encourage their passion and creativity, which only help promote the industry and the event?

Are bloggers media? Maybe not. Maybe they’re better. [From Are Bloggers "Media?"]

I attended a Small Business Chamber function tonight and met some interesting new people.  What’s more interesting to me, though, is how few people that I come into contact with are making any kind of effort in regards to their online marketing.

It’s easy to understand why a start-up would not rank their Internet marketing efforts as an absolute necessity:  budget and time constraints are typically pretty obvious reasons.  I think the other main reason that I seem to pick up again and again is that there are so many people out there who simply do not understand what it takes to market their business online, and they don’t have anyone to explain it to them.

I believe that so many of these individuals wish they could “harness the power of the internet” and turn their organization into an online marketing juggernaut that realized dreams of enormous profits and growth, but it is almost like these people put that in the same category as winning the lottery as far as the liklihood that it can happen.

This is so unusual considering how tonight i spoke to 2 different business owners who are each in a very unique, niche industry which would offer tremendous opportunity for growth online.  Of course, that’s what I’m here to help them with but I just find it odd that in today’s web-driven world that there are still so many out there who feel that successful online marketing is like Sasquatch or the Holy Grail.

Not true, people!  I’m here to tell you that you, yes YOU, can be successful at marketing online.

For some, that is going to require a healthy marketing budget, patience, and a lot of luck due to the incredible competition out there.  For others who are in some niche industries that have yet to really jump in and start marketing online this can be accomplished with a relatively small budget and a modest investment of your time.  That’s one of the points that I mentioned several times over the course of the evening- that even if you don’t have the budget to implement a full-blown and comprehensive e-marketing strategy then you can still do things on your own time to increase awareness of your product by simple and effective means such as…. BLOGGING!

I suppose, at this point, it would be wise to point out my own shortcomings in this regard but I must reiterate something that I have been told incessantly throughout my life:  “do as I say, not as I do”!

If I could convince each of our clients to start blogging away about their business, market, or industry then that could do wonders for what we are trying to accomplish for them.  Something for you to think about!

Well I suppose it’s time that I finally start practicing what I preach and get a blog started.  How many times I’ve belabored the point that blogging is an important part of how you position your organization online, as well as an important part of good organic SEO. So let’s talk a little bit about why I would mention that to our clients and let that lead us into who we are.

I am the Managing Project Director at Valeo Design & Marketing, Inc. which is a Memphis, TN based Internet markeitng agency.  We are one of the few firms in our area that offer such a comprehensive array of services designed to drive traffic and increase conversions for our clients’ sites as well as providing web design and development services to exceed every need.

This company started for one reason:  because there is a lack of people out there who understand what it takes to meld the business sense that it takes to grow a business with the technical savvy that it takes to actually pull it off.  And, of course, we try to throw in a just a little bit of ‘sizzle’ just for good measure and to make our clients stand out.  Which actually leads us to our company motto:  “Stand Out Among Millions”

In this uber-competitive landscape where everyone online is competing for first place in the largest marketplace that has every existed, we understand what it takes to succeed online and we have the vision and the resources to make you stand out among millions on the Internet.  If you even want to find out more then check out our site at www.valeomarketing.com

If this were a whitepaper then I would say that over the course of this, I plan to cover the following topics….  but that is not really the reason for this blog at all!  I plan only to journal my thoughts and experiences as the Managing Project Director for an Internet marketing firm and talk about what that means in regards to new ways to think about your approach to marketing our business online.  So pay attention because I’m certain that you’ll be able to learn something; I know I am and will!