I think Robert Scoble [RS]  is completely sincere in his call to return to the roots of blogging and in his mea culpa for having played a role in feeding the hype.  There are just a few other things he needs to consider.  So I have lovingly lifted the bold copy and major points straight from his latest piece on Silicon Valley PR. I am using Mr Scoble’s points to share my tips for how to read the posts of the master bloggers [MBs]. And I’m even offering the MBs some suggestions for what to do about “bad PR.” A win/win for all, I hope.

RS says, what we really want is an exclusive interview with Steve Jobs.  Or Mark Zuckerberg.  Or the Wizard of Oz.  Here, the MB is doing one of the things MBs do best:  dropping a name.  This is meant to impress you or to tell the icon that an interview is desired.  In old media terms, think Barbara Walters v Diane Sawyer.  The first MB to secure a conversation with an icon or an exclusive introduction to an iconic invention wins until the next competition. You remain an MB by garnering a ton of followers, other bloggers linking to you, and best yet, other MBs including you in the hallowed circle.   Sure, they want all the big interviews. But what MBs want even more is to be able to decide who is important and tell you who that is.  Reader tip 7. What the exclusive interview means to you, the reader, is nothing, unless the interview tells you something important that you did not know about the person or the subject.  Be candid with the MBs about the star chasing, the stars you want to know and what you want to know about them.  The Internet is supposed to be a meritocracy-democracy, not an oligarchy.

Mary strongly suggests: Name dropping is tacky in most parts of the world.  Worse, it reveals a real tendency to elitism.  You should be thinking about who is next. That’s what Steve Jobs would probably tell you.  Be the first to introduce the stars of tomorrow.  Widen the circle.