today or yesterday she put up the pics from her bridal shower

i guess this means i hafta officially start dating her sisters

or something.

either way, congrats ashley!

who writes for Searchviews “the company blog of Reprise Media. We impart daily insights on Search Marketing, Social Media and SEO.” i first met Sepi at the Live from the Blogosphere panel in Chinatown where ev announced that google was about to buy blogger. not too long after that i asked Sepi to help me on Blook II, a project that never happened because i hate looking backwards, but over time Sepi found it in her heart to forgive me and when i finally came out with How to Blog i gave her a shoutout in the “thanks” section.

i have been approached by many people to talk about the cool and weird things that we are doing with the blogs at the LA Times but i say no to mostly everyone. sepi however is an exceptional person so therefore she is one of the exceptions.

later this week i will be on a panel organized by Harvard Law hosted at the Annenberg School of USC and moderated by a dude from MIT, but the real reason i accepted was because Doc Searls will be there, another exceptional person. sadly his presentation happens the same time as my panel but maybe we can knock back a cold one after the dealio (if not before, as im sure i will be pretty nervous).

anyways, heres my answer to one of Sepi’s Five Questions:

SV: Tony, part of your job at the LA Times is launching new blogs; for example, you recently brought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on board and he’s done some interesting stuff with video and written about everything from jazz to politics. What new blogs are you planning now, and what ideas make for viable blogs? In other words, what should newspapers or other media companies consider when they’re planning new blogs and hiring bloggers?

TP: We are planning a wide spectrum of new blogs that I am not at liberty to reveal at this time, but they will leap from and be based within every section of the paper that you could imagine – from the front page to the back page.

Kareem has been quite a blessing. I don’t think anyone anywhere has a Hall of Famer writing for them, from their heart, every day, about sensitive and interesting topics. And as you said, he does it with video, audio, and the written word. His Rolodex is endless, so one day you might see him doing an interview with will.i.am and the next day he’s exchanging emails with Senator Barack Obama. The day after the Super Bowl, Kareem reminisced about hanging with the Manning brothers, and the day after the Grammys, there was a picture of him with Herbie Hancock. Last week he was on the Colbert Report, and when the Lakers return you will see him inches away from the court with the Lake Show. And he writes about all of it. He is a totally fascinating man with an amazing and unreal life, and we are so lucky to have him writing about it daily.

When newspapers are planning new blogs they should consider what jewels they have in their backyards. It might not be ESPN’s Collegiate Athlete of the Century, like Kareem, but odds are they have more than a few precious gems on their radar. My advice is to reach out to those people and let them do what we’re doing with #33: let them write about whatever they want, using whatever format they feel most comfortable with. Not everyone wants to write about what made them famous, not everyone wants to type away at a keyboard. Most people are complicated. So let them tell you a wide-ranging assortment of things in a variety of ways. The blogging medium is dynamic and limitless, so don’t let your own boundaries limit your bloggers. Let them go, let them experiment, encourage them, and be there when they need you.

read the whole thing here and dont miss the part where i diss mark cuban whose dallas mavs have been on a karmic-induced slide lately.

investigative reporter of the LAT

who recently wrote more on the 2Pac shooting

enter the chat now (we’re chatting thru 1pm PT)