This Chicago Tribune story re-ran in the dispatch yesterday. Very interesting stuff. I’ve been contacted by a number of marketing firms, public relations companies, and many city organizations about what’s being said both on this blog as well as on ColumbusUnderground.com. There are important people reading out there.
I don’t think bloggers should be too self-aware and end up biting their tongues when they have something negative to say just because someone important might be reading it. It pays to be honest, but there’s always ways to use constructive criticism to express disappointment in a product or service. A good rant every once in awhile is fine when you’ve just got to get something off your chest, but the overuse of negativity will only breed more negativity.
Just my two cents. Oh, and if any local companies or organizations are in need of positions such as “community manager, new media strategist or blog strategist” as mentioned in the article below… feel free to send me an email. 
Here’s the article:
Marketers are paying attention to online chatter
Sunday, December 2, 2007 3:44 AM
BY ERIC BENDEROFF
Chicago TribuneCHICAGO — You may never hear a word from a conversation analyst, but there’s a very good chance one is paying close attention to what you’re saying on blogs, in Web forums or in product reviews on sites that sell books or blenders.
Somewhere, someone is reading and analyzing your words.
“I pay attention to what people say online,” said Leah Jones, one of these so-called conversation analysts, who works for a recently formed division of public-relations company Edelman called Me2revolution.
She is part of a growing practice at companies such as Kraft Foods Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co. that listen closely to what people say as the Web continues to morph from a medium of static sites to a place where dialogue and interactivity dominate.
The companies are adding positions such as community manager, new media strategist or blog strategist, and are actively engaging on the Web.