Live Blogging My Blog Reading Catch-up

Having just returned from 10 days away from the office on business and vacation, I’m left to catch up on several thousand blog posts.  So here are my notes as I blaze through them at a blistering pace, no doubt missing some good stuff, but hopefully enjoying the foam on the cappuccino (OK, I don’t really know what that means either, but I was looking for something humorous).  Some of these may well be fodder for future posts, but in the meantime, some quick takes:

• 76% of wealthy people read blogs, one survey says (via Tim Wolters of Collective Intellect)
• Interesting way to prove my point that content doesn’t want to be free: “Starting today all existing members, and anyone who joins Cambrian House from this point forward, will earn a share in the business. The more engaged they are as members, the more shares they will earn over time. Cambrian House measures participation with a Glory Point system. Points are awarded for a variety of actions such as editing a member profile, commenting on a member’s business idea, completing a task, or submitting code. Shares are awarded based on participation and can be cashed out at any time.” (901am)
• comScore released a study and “determined that using cookies to determine web audience will on average overcount your audience by 2.5x.  That’s right – 150% higher than it actually is.” (Fred Wilson)
• a great argument from new friend and fellow podcaster Adam Weiss about why you should start out with cheap gear when first podcasting … and maybe stick with it like he has! For another perspective, Scott Bourne advocates a $1000 portable digital recorder
• primer on how to communicate with angel investors as an entrepreneur
• Kami Huyse offers 8 meaningful measurements of social media
• Kudos to CustomScoop’s Ian Muir who won a free trip to Microsoft’s Mix07 conference by creating a winning design for REMIX07
• aside: I didn’t read most blogs while on vacation, but did check in with Twitter periodically.  Guess my opinion of the service is changing…
• A great new marketing podcast is out with two talented podcasters at the mic: Marketing Over Coffee with Christopher Penn and John Wall.  Spent 15 minutes of my blog reading time with this in the background and picked up a bunch of useful nuggets.
• Reading blogs could be good for your wallet.
• There’s now a magazine covering the social media space.  Blogger & Podcaster magazine has debuted. I’ll probably check it out, but it seems a little strange to have an old media pub to cover new media.  Though they say they deliver in paper, electronic, and podcast format.  Could be interesting.
• Paul Kedrosky has a good post on how we’re getting lots more information around us but it isn’t making the population more aware of facts.
• Nikon is promoting its D80 Digital SLR camera through a blogger relations program.  BL Ochman has all the details.  (I have the Canon EOS 30D myself and love it, but Josh Hallett — who is a much better and more prolific photographer than I — is a huge D80 fan.)
• So do I go to what will undoubtedly become the most overhyped conference of the year?  I’m a big fan of DEMO and this sounds like more fun, but… check out TechCrunch 20 for yourself and make your own call.  It ain’t cheap, of course.