Here's a good explanation:

Hat-tip to Chris Anderson at The Long Tail

My blogospheric partner in crime started his new gig today; at the much ballyhooed Politico. Will be interesting seeing this thing get off the ground, or not. Nonetheless, am rooting for it!

The Politico provides us a real-life test case of new media vs. old. Jim Vandehei and John Harris of WashPo fame are at the helm. You can read the entirety of their new media manifesto here, but some highlights follow:

It is an odd moment, to be sure, in the larger context of our profession. Layoffs are the norm at many news organizations. Buyouts and involuntary reassignments, accompanied by vague and ominous all-newsroom memos about more wrenching changes ahead, are the fashion at others. To be optimistic about the future in this climate of gloom is an act of will.

...Not to hire this PR firm.

I kid you not - here's their take on how bloggers should have handled the Edelman/Microsoft Vista laptop-gate:

Bloggers: Be professional and human, don’t crucify a company for deeming you worthy of free products to review and own! You might want to mention professional reviews of technology are "loaned" products like MP3 players, TV's and electronics. They don’t get to keep them... they essentially are "on a tour" following the tech press circuit, like a rock-star. Honestly, if you’re a Blogger and you get to keep a product like that, the human thing to do is say thank you.

David Henderson of Making News expresses this concern in response to the same question I asked him and her: that when a major PR firm decides their client is better off flogging - er, fake blogging - chances are, the state of the firm's media relations is verging on piss poor (my words, not his).

His exact words follow:

I think we need to be cautious of turning meaningful marketing terms, like Mindshare, into the latest PR pop-hype.

So, given that Edelman has such a commanding presence online, I decided to start asking some folks who've written on the Microsoft Vista laptop-gate a simple question: how do you think Edelman's PR stunt with Microsoft affected the quality of Edelman's mindshare online?

First up, Andy Lark, who recently placed blame squarely on Microsoft:

I'm not sure that Edelman had anything to do with the current Microsoft stunt although they've definitely been associated with it. This is a classic case of extending traditional PR tactics into the blogosphere. A very wrong move.

It's been a pleasure watching Daily News reporter Ben Smith in action (and not just b/c he's my partner in crime).

As I write, Ben is busy showing the world what exactly it means to be an intrepid reporter in the digital age - weaving a story online and off, in print, on the web and on air.

Yesterday, Ben launched the "Giuliani Papers" Scandal - which was both featured on the cover of the Daily News as well as on the front page of the News's website. Both debuted around 3:00am.

No matter where you fall on Edelman's recent public relations stunts, there's no arguing that the firm has adopted an aggressive culture of virtual experimentation. Question is, are the firm's clients better off for it? Many argue that they're not.

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Coincidentally, some like The Flack's Peter Himler are beginning to raise red flags, questioning the roles traditional PR companies should be playing online:

I certainly appreciate the goal of building a bigger digital footprint for our clients, but let's hope we don't byte off more than we can chew. In other words, let's focus on those service offerings for which our recognized core competencies and intrinsic expertise are directly indicated.

Asked to explain further, Himler added:

(as posted on Huffington Post)

Don't mean to rain on your parade, but Time magazine is really not that into YOU - they're into YOUr buying their magazine.

Reality is, YOU're threatening its existence. Or I guess, as Time's editors call it, "beating the pros at their own game...".

Such is the word from a report out today [via Editor & Publisher].

Of the 3,500+ hours Americans will be devoting to using their household media in 2007, here's how the projections break down in part:

1,555 hours watching tv
974 hours listening to the radio
195 hours using the web
175 hours reading newspapers
122 hours reading magazines

(more)

Click here to view the release covering today's mindshare rankings.

Click here to read the full blog post.

Click here to see a chart of how the traditional NY media stack up against one another.

Click here to see a full composite sketch of how the NY media stacks up against some newer competitors.