In part 1, which went live yesterday, Toby described the origin of the "diva" brand; today, she details the PR industry's role in the blogosphere, bloggers as journalists and more.

3. Rob La Gatta:In an interview last year with Stephan Spencer, you said bloggers “want to be part of an on-going collaboration or partnership.” This seems like it could be a great opportunity for public relations firms, yet their presence in the blogosphere still seems quite limited. Do you think the PR industry is poised to become a larger presence in the blogoshere any time soon?

Toby Bloomberg: Absolutely. Many large and small agencies are blogging today. Some are tapping into “blogger relations” to create online word of mouth buzz for their clients. Unfortunately, some of those blogger out reach efforts are resulting in negative rather than positive posts.

The challenge for many agencies entering this space is to accept social media as a credible marketing/PR strategy and not leave it totally in the hands of junior account managers. The world of blogs and social media is perceived as a Gen X/Y world. While the Millenniums may have grown up in this world, there is more to developing a blog, Web 2.0, social media strategy than knowing how to set up a Facebook page.

Where the PR and advertising agencies tend to get it wrong is not understanding that this virtual world is comprised of hundreds of communities...[and] that each, as I call them, “village”, has its own culture and norms. Cultivating a blogger relations strategy involves more than an email blast of a press release. It involves understand and respecting the cultures.

See the rest of part 2 after the jump.

4.Rob La Gatta: In 2005, you were excluded from Daimler Chrysler’s journalist blog on the grounds that they didn’t consider bloggers to be established journalists. Think that would happen today? Has the business become more welcoming to bloggers?

Toby Bloomberg: You’ve opened a very interesting discussion. Let’s start with Daimler Chrysler’s Firehouse blog concept. Yes, I think that might occur today. However, in all fairness, it wasn’t that I was a blogger that precluded me from access but that Diva Marketing didn’t have a focus on cars or the auto industry. Soon after that post you’re referring to I was given access to the site. Ed Garsten, the editor of Firehouse blog, told the back-story in an interview he did for Diva Marketing.

Is business more welcoming to bloggers? Some are and others don’t perceive the value. Recently one of the most respected and loved brands, Target refused to respond to a blogger’s questions:

“Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets,” a public relations person wrote to ShapingYouth.”

Are bloggers journalists? Should they be considered as journalists with the same access to information? I’ve never pretended to be a reporter (though I do think it would be very cool to have access to press passes and those cute jackets with zillions of pockets .. could be a new Diva look!). However, many blogs “Google well” and have a loyal community that trusts the opinions of the blogger. In terms of influencing customers and other stakeholders, it’s a different world than even three years ago.

5.Rob La Gatta: If you could start your blog all over again knowing what you know now about the ins-and-outs of the blogoshere, what would you do differently?

Toby Bloomberg: If I knew that Diva Marketing would become one of the first blog brands, I would have created a branded look and feel right out of the box. I would have managed the expectations better through the design.

[...]

I also would have thought more carefully about how to structure the categories. I’ve been asked by more than one person when is “the book” coming out. If the categories had been structured as chapters it would be easier to develop.

Taking a cue from journalism, Diva Marketing is positioned less of a “hard news” although there are hard punching posts, however, the voice positions it as a “features” read which gives it a slightly different niche from other blogs. I’ve started an internet radio show, Diva Marketing Talks, as an extension of the “brand.” I’m also playing a bit with video – vlogs. After four years, I’m exploring where does Diva go? How far can I leverage the brand and continue to provide value content merged with fun?

Interested in hearing more? Recent LexBlog Q & A posts:

• Nick Holmes, legal publishing consultant with infolaw and author of Binary Law [2.5.08]
• David Maister, law firm practice consultant [2.4.08]
• Steve Matthews, search engine optimization specialist and founder of Stem Legal [2.1.08]
• Tom Goldstein, partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and founder of SCOTUSblog [1.30.08]
• Rick Klau, former VP of publisher services at FeedBurner and current member of Google's content acquisition team [1.29.08]

Our interview with Toby is this week's two-parter. In part 1, below, she discusses the origin of the "diva" and when she encourages her clients to blog; tomorrow, part 2 will publish, which features Toby's commentary on joining the conversation in the blogosphere, bloggers as journalists and more.

1.Rob La Gatta: You’ve established a brand surrounding the Diva Marketing image, but where did the “diva” first come from? Do you think establishing a unique reputation this way has given you an advantage over other marketers?

Toby Bloomberg: Diva Marketing began life as a marketing column for an online publication targeted to women in business. I wanted the articles to be fun for the readers and for me too. I began to play around with a funky voice, that in retrospect was more conversational than traditional magazine style writing. I included references to “girlfriend” and “martinis” that sometimes reflected the style of Sex In The City but with a definite focus on providing practical information. What surprised me was the positive feedback I received from both women and men.

When the publication closed its virtual doors I wanted to continue the genre. I tried to find a new “home” for Diva Marketing but it didn’t quite fit into any of the online or offline publications around at the time (2002-03).

Diva Marketing (blog) was launched in the spring of 2004 as an experiment to simply understand the logistics of blogging. I had a website, so why did I need a blog? It was meant to be a fast learning. Little did I know that I would quickly get hook, find a new passion and Diva Marketing would morph into a “blog brand.” It was a surprise to me.

In the continuing cluttered world of business blogs and social media the Diva Marketing “brand” has given me an identity that I would never have obtained from my company name – Bloomberg Marketing. Unless of course Michael Bloomberg wanted to acquire my business (smile). The name does stand out in a list of blogs and sounds fun. I think people are curious to give an initial click.

However, at the end of the day a cute name or even a memorable name is just the beginning of a brand. It’s about proving value for your community. People read blogs for three reasons: information, entertainment and community. I work hard to weave all three elements together to offer those that who stop by a fun experience where they can also take away a tip or two to help them market smarter.

2. Rob La Gatta:How frequently do you encourage your clients to start a blog? When you do are they generally receptive to the idea or does it take some time convincing?

Toby Bloomberg: To give a bit of a perspective, what sets me apart from many consultants who are working in social media is my background in marketing strategy and research. I’ve always viewed blogs, and now social media, as tools that marketers can use to reach and understand customers. When I work with organizations strategies are considered from the perspective of: does it make sense for the brand? If it does, how can the tactics be integrated into the master marketing plan to support business outcomes? With blogs and social media there is an additional element that other marketing strategies usually don’t consider - does it provide value to the customers and stakeholders?

Another critical component we look at is the culture of the organization. Social media is not a play toy and it’s not a silver bullet. The organization must be ready to adapt to answering questions that they didn’t ask. By that I mean not only to listen to their customers in new channels (blogs, communities, videos, etc.), but to put systems into place to take action and respond to the unsolicited feedback of its stakeholders.

In addition, to understanding how to participate in wide open discussions that can be heard by people all over the world, the trust and respect an organization must give to its employees who are involved with social media initiatives is critical. Even with guidelines and training (and blessings from the legal department) for many companies internal employee marketing is as innovative as a micro blogs or RSS or widgets.

What I do tell clients is that even if they are not ready to jump in with both feet, it’s important to pay attention to the talk about their brand, their industry and trends. What I do tell clients is that social media is not a fad. It’s not going away. With the ease of photo sharing, video sharing, blogs, communities, etc., the opportunities that our customers have to share what is important to them (and we hope some of that chat includes brands) will continue to grow.

Interested in hearing more? Recent LexBlog Q & A posts:

• Nick Holmes, legal publishing consultant with infolaw and author of Binary Law [2.5.08]
• David Maister, law firm practice consultant [2.4.08]
• Steve Matthews, search engine optimization specialist and founder of Stem Legal [2.1.08]
• Tom Goldstein, partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and founder of SCOTUSblog [1.30.08]
• Rick Klau, former VP of publisher services at FeedBurner and current member of Google's content acquisition team [1.29.08]