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Quick Summary: Read about how to run an effective blogger review program across a wide variety of product and services categories.

Background: While blogger review/ blogger relation programs have become popular internationally over the last two years, they are virtually unheard of in the Indian context. At the @MumbaiTwit tweetup last Sunday, I was speaking to a friend about setting up a blogger review program, and decided that it will be useful to put down my thoughts in the form of a how-to guide.

Scope: In this how-to guide, I’ll focus on running an effective blogger review program, not a blogger relations program. A blogger review program is typically a tactical, short-term, time-bound campaign focused on getting bloggers to review your new product or service. A blogger relations program involves building more strategic, longer-term, open-ended relationships with bloggers who are influential in your product or service niche. In terms of applicability, blogger review programs can be effective across a wide variety of product and services categories, including books, music CDs, movie DVDs, websites, gadgets and restaurants.

Quick Summary: I have set myself three blogging goals for 2008 — write 100 posts with original content, reach 1000 subscribers, and enter Technorati top 1000.

Daniels at Daily Blog Tips is doing a Group Writing Project on Blogging Goals for 2008 and more than 130 bloggers have participated so far.

While most bloggers participating in the project have set themselves goals on as many as ten metrics related to blog redesign, post frequency, promotion techniques, comments, traffic, link-backs and revenue, I have decided to focus on three simple goals — write 100 posts with original content, reach 1000 subscribers, and enter Technorati top 1000.

Goals only work if they are linked to a long-term objective and blogging goals are no different.

I decided some time back that I’m not interested in using my blog to earn money. Instead, my objective is to use my blog to establish myself as an authority in the marketing, strategy and social media niche. In fact, as I have built a library of quality original content on my blog over the last few months, I have even started putting my blog URL on my resume.

Quick Summary: Read about the M20 list of top ranked blogs written by client-side marketers and my profile on the M20 blog.

I had always wondered if all marketing blogs were written by agency people, until I came across The M20: Top Marketer Blogs.

The M20 — maintained by Peter Kim — is a list of the top ranked blogs written by client-side marketers.

Apart from maintaining a list of the top twenty blogs, Peter also does regular profiles of client-side marketers who blog. Here’s mine.

By the way, here are the top twenty blogs by client-side marketers in November ‘07 –

Quick Summary: Read about how your following/ followers ratio is a foolproof indicator of your position on the blogging chain of being.

Today, I found myself Twittering about the following/ followers ratio, that is, the ratio between the number of people whose blog you read/ who you follow on Twitter and the number of people who read your blog/ follow you on Twitter. Then, as I compiled my updates into a Twitter thread, I had a Eureka moment — I realized that your following/ followers ratio is a foolproof indicator of your position on the blogging chain of being.

If your Following/ Followers ratio is > 2 or < 1/2, you are listening or talking, but not communicating. (Twitter)

That signal to noise (Following/ Followers) ratio rule holds for Twitter/ Pownce, but it also holds for blogs/ RSS feeds. (Twitter)

When you start communicating via a new medium, your Following/ Followers ratio will be typically > 2. (Twitter)

If you are good at using the medium, over time, you will build a following and the Following/ Followers ratio will fall between 1/2 and 2. (Twitter)

Quick Summary: Read about the marketing and blogging chain of being.

Have I ever told you why Grant McCracken is brilliant — because he often makes me think. Like he did today when he asked –

Could there be a great chain of being in the marketing world?

Of course, Grant, there is a great chain of being, not only in the marketing world, but also in the blogging world.

The Renaissance Chain of Being

The Marketing Chain of Being

The Blogging Chain of Being

By the way, here’s the inside story on why most bloggers blog — blogging allows the world to find out how brilliant we are, individually and collectively.

If you think I’m totally brilliant, do let me know via a comment or an e-mail.