What a weird word. Blog. Do you realize that none of the spell–checks in my Microsoft Word software recognize the word “blog?” Nor does the spell–check in the blog software I use. Go figure.

Professionals, average people, politicians and reporters are using blogs. Chances are your kids have at least one, so read on and see how blogs are affecting a number of professions.

Last April, I had a fearful awakening. As a PR/media relations person with a mission to place news stories for clients, I was genuinely afraid.

My phone had stopped ringing. The fax machine was silent, and reporters let their calls go to voice mail. My personal, long–standing relationships with reporters weren’t as effective. Most were taking story ideas by e–mail only. I now must live or die by the e–mail subject line.

Evidently, the news media were scared, too — try dealing with 100–200 e–mails a day.

And for them, there is new and determined competition. Thanks to blogs, the rise of citizen journalism is underway. But do these citizen journalists abide by journalistic standards? Do they understand the danger of libel? Do they realize that some information needs research before it can be trusted?

Shaking in my professional boots, I registered for a media relations summit in San Francisco in April 2005. It was so jaw–dropping, I needed minor surgery. The big guys were there: Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, NPR. I could go on and on.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that our new world of overloaded communications has effectively forced reporters to build walls around their cubicles to maintain sanity. The phone and even voice mail are enemies, stealing precious deadline time. And the fax … what a joke, and headed for your neighborhood antique store. Most are now poised over a garbage can in the newsroom — several reporters truly mentioned this. And the news release is also DOA. The e–mail story pitch is in — but you’d better be good at it or they won’t even click on it. The subject line is your only hope.

A new form of citizen journalism has arrived. It’s called a blog. Anyone can do it. The software is free. And bloggers love to go after inaccurate news stories on the Web.

I learned some head–hurting trends at the conference. Just as I attempt to place news stories for clients in mainstream media (often called “lamestream” media by bloggers), reporters write their stories and hope they get read. To encourage that, they e–mail appeals to bloggers to carry their stories. Essentially reporters are now practicing PR.

In the PR profession, these are confusing times. But in the publishing arena, it is a new and magic age. I’m writing a book. I will self-publish, create a Web site and a blog about the book and my expertise, and wake up every morning to work on my home computer as my own publicist.

Isn’t this just like having a Website? Afraid not. Blogs are not stagnant information that you need to find. You can subscribe to blogs and other sites via RSS (real simple syndication.) The information you want arrives on your desktop. You can respond to the content, have your comment posted (hopefully edited of nasty content), and eureka — an ongoing worldwide real–time conversation takes place.

Blogs are a marketer’s dream. At any given moment, with a few strategic blog searches, you will be able to determine the hot topics of the day, the latest pop culture, and even get an understanding of how blogs are affecting U.S. elections, policy, even Supreme Court nominees. Marketers can now determine the mood of the country — sometimes abandoning conventional research.

After my convention eye–opener, I spent three months getting up early and studying blogs, especially Micro Persuasion. Author Steve Rubel has such a popular blog that one online traffic measurement site claims he could land a million–dollar advertising contract.

So I hired a young computer geek to teach me monthly, much like piano lessons, how to coordinate the free technology, how to post, html mark–up and the ultimate courtesies needed to avoid blog retaliation.

For instance, it is not polite to blog and send the post to those who didn’t ask for it. Start with friends who won’t hurt you. Each time you post, be sure to “ping” Technorati.com and del.icio.us to advertise your new content. Both are locations for those who love to blog.

Today, I’m proud to say that my blog, Media Relations : Truth and Consequences is now ranked #277,000 in the millions of blogs on the Web, supposedly worth five thousand dollars in advertising (according to one tracking estimate). Soon, millions of new blogs will claim electronic real estate.

Time to get into the game. Be one of the pioneers.