Syntagma Media launches A Publisher’s Diary:

Of all our literary blogs, which include Dial Publishing, Naked Tales, Writers Blog Alliance etc., perhaps the most immediate is A Publisher’s Diary from Steve Newman, Commissioning Editor of Humdrumming.

Steve is currently negotiating some rare deals with mega-authors, so this should give a fascinating insight into the world of a go-getting publishing house.

“He’s dead, Jim”

New ownership, site traffic down nearly 50%, and even Alexa shows the end.

Farewell, JOAB. I unsubscribed today.

That’s the question that David “Cowboy” Krug asks over at Chartreuse today where he’s guest blogging.

I disagree with him, but I’m saving that response for a bit later this week.

b5media has inked a major partnership deal with VIP Fan Clubs to produce co-branded shows for Fox Media’s Television Shows:

The initial test run is just 4 shows, but we are confident that the initial 4 will let us figure out the best way to cross-promote the blogs from both sides of this deal.

The point is to provide high quality daily content for passionate fans of the shows. Inside information. Exclusive deals. Discounts on merchandise. The whole 9 yards.

Aaron Brazell comments on this deal over at The Blog Herald:

Television shows and entertainment blogs are nothing new to b5media as a large portion of their blogs are based on these genres. But this marks the first time that the network has partnered with what is termed “old media” to advance common themes.

We’ll have an interview with b5media President Jeremy Wright on Wednesday over at Blog Herald.

Instablogs has launched Instamedia.org, a user-generated news site:

The Instamedia blog covers the changing media scene. Newspapers are changing due to the onslaught of the online publishing revolution and rise of classifieds site like Craigslist. User-generated content is hot. Witness the rise of the likes of Flickr and Del.icio.us.

Nanopublishing has grabbed the imagination of anyone who wants to get the world’s ear. First, we had blogs, and then came Podcasts, followed by Video blogs and Mobile blogging.

Citizen Journalism promises to shake up news publishing led by the pioneering Ohmynews site.

Posts from the last few days cover Net Neutrality, Digg, Web as an information source, the rise of New Media, and other topics….

Instablog’s New InstaMedia site comments on how Blog Networks aren’t yet evolving into Social Networks:

During the last nine months or so, many networks have popped up and gone strong. B5media, Instablogs, KMN, Syntagma Media, Blog Media have been successful in craving a niche for themselves. Although some have died too, including FineFools, which was launched with a lot of hype.

However, the fact remains, most of the networks were able to get good traffic and were able to monetize the blogs associated with the network. Any blogger wishing to join a network looks primarily how the network can help him/her to monetize his blog further, get more traffic, or provide him greater visibility.

The article goes on to comment how Blog Networks haven’t yet evolved into Social Networks, such as Digg or other sites. And while I guess I understand the point of this post, I’m not sure that I agree with it.

BlogMedia isn’t meant to be a social network. While there are communities built around some of our sites – the network itself isn’t really a social beast. We might be a bit incestuous though.

I’m not really sure that any blog network is really a social network. There are sites that have clear communities – Chartreuse is an example, or Wisdump is another. Neither of those sites is in a network (Wisdump might be in 9rules, I didn’t check)….

But there’s a big difference between blog networks and social networks like Myspace and others..

b5media picked up some love from the Australian version of Reader’s Digest:

If you got here through the Diamond Anniversary Special of the Australian Reader’s Digest (July 2006 issue), let me just extend a warm blogging welcome to you from b5media. Thanks for taking the time to visit based on the article “Your hobby + a computer = extra money” by Louise Waterson.

The article itself doesn’t appear to be online, but congrats to B5 in any event!

Gawker is seeking some summer interns. See the post over at BloggerJobs.

Syntagma Media has launched Stage Latest:

Syntagma Media is pleased to announce the latest addition to our growing stable of blogs: Stage Latest, which covers the stage and theatre worldwide.

Our blogger is Ian Alexander Martin, an actor, director, stage journalist and Senior Editor with British publisher, Humdrumming. Ian accomplishes all this from his base in Vancouver, Canada. Regular readers may recall his recent piece for Celebrity at Work.

b5media has launched Self-Help Diva:

The Personal Development Channel is proud to announce its latest addition: Self Help Diva starring none other than b5media Director Shai Coggins (some of you may have heard of her …) as the Self Help Diva herself.

Self Help Diva aims to help you help yourself, by providing daily forms of inspiration, meditation, and encouragement. Whether it be a simple quote, a thought-provoking question, or a story, this wonderful blog will provide the means by which you can enrich your everyday life.