Great side-bar in the August 2005 issue of Fast Company gives a run-down of proper blogging etiquette, comparing it to hosting a successful cocktail party:

1. Make introductions (i.e. link to other useful and relevant blogs)

2. Be authentic (i.e. if you're not normally scintillating, no worries; just be useful by linking to other resources)

3. Dress business casual: "Stay away from topics you wouldn't share with your mother -- or without a nondisclosure agreement."

4. Don't scrimp (i.e. blogs are low-cost to launch but be sure to spend enough time to keep yours fresh and updated)

5. Have a…

Nicely-written article in today's Chicago Tribune describes how useful blogs are as a low-cost marketing tool for small businesses. Quotes yours truly several times. Too bad the electronic version of this newspaper article doesn't provide a live link to any of the blogs mentioned.

Oh, if you're wondering why I haven't been posting, it's because I'm on an island off the coast of Maine with only intermittent access to the Internet (not to mention electricity). It's heaven... we've been swimming in the 59 degree water. OK dunking. We use sea soap and bathe in the water instead of taking…

I'm fighting a summer cold/flu, the book is progressing slowly and it's hot hot hot hot here in Washington D.C... argh. On the bright side, here's a nice mention from the July 12, 2005 Publisher's Lunch:

"Corporate blog coach, Fortune 500 speaker, and consultant Debbie Weil's B L O G, making a case for corporate blogging by revealing how your business can benefit  - and profit - from this cultural and technological phenomenon, to Megan Casey at Portfolio, by Wales Literary Agency."

Here's a useful Q & A with my agent Elizabeth Wales on what to expect if…

Revealing interview with Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down. Thanks to my agent Elizabeth Wales for the link.

"When I write a book, I invent the process anew every time.  It’s about maintaining files  and grouping information as I’m reporting and assembling it in a way so that I’ll be able to find it again when I need it.  I then shuffle the files as I’m writing in order to organize the information for ready access.  I continue to report as I’m writing.

I always outline.  I start making outlines for anything I’m writing, whether it’s a…

Intriguing interview in ZDNet Australia with Sun Microsystem's CIO Bill Vass. Says that Sun's chief blogger Jonathan Schwartz has been advised he can't play practical jokes on his blog. For example, suggesting on April Fool's day that Sun is planning to buy Novell. Aaah, the sobering realities of abiding by SEC rules governing Fortune 500 companies. Note: Jonathan must be on vacation because he hasn't posted since June 16th.

From the article:

"(Vass) said Sun president Jonathan Schwartz -- who keeps a public blog -- was frustrated when April Fool's day came around, because he couldn't use…

On the fence about starting a corporate blog authored by senior execs? Bob Lutz, who is GM's CBO (Chief Blogging Officer) as well as global vice chairman for product development, says: just do it. From an article written by Lutz for Information Week: Nothing To Fear From Executive Blogging. The article begins:

"To blog or not to blog? For a lot of senior executives these days, that is the question. The answer, simply enough, is to blog. No better opportunity exists to engage in an open dialogue and exchange of ideas with customers and potential customers."