If you’re a public relations professional, a CMO, marketing guru or forward-thinking decision-maker — you’ve probably wondered how you can get bloggers to talk about your business … in a favorable way.Late last year, I was a guest speaker on a Webinar that was geared toward PR agents. Prior to that I had had extensive conversations with corporate types and PR pros about social media – and most honestly admitted, they had no idea how to make social media work for them. They saw it as this black hole of yet more new technology that wasn’t going away as previously thought, but in fact, was taking the world by storm.During my speaking tour last year a frustrated woman actually asked, “Who are these bloggers? What do they want from us? What drives them? Why do they care?” The first thing you need to know is that most bloggers are not motivated solely by money. They want: recognition to scoop a story (be the first to break a story) become a thought leader increase speaking and writing opportunities Simply put, bloggers are a lot like you (and me!). So when thinking about your planned interactions with them, remember that fact. If you know that a blogger wants more speaking gigs, start throwing his/her name into the ring (if they are qualified). This is basic networking folks. The nuts and bolts of influencer engagement. The golden rule applies well here. If you want a blogger to link to your brand’s blog … how about linking to their blog first? We should all know how to give to get by now. Forget about the technology and the new media stuff and put on your thinking cap. Truthfully, most brands botch it up and end up angering the bloggers with whom they want to become allies. But, you? You’re lucky…you know me and you read this blog. That doesn’t have to happen to you.That’s why I wrote The Blogosphere Cluebook — to show you step by step, both what to do and what not to do when befriending bloggers. It’s not the War & Peace on social media influencers by a long shot, but it will serve as a bit of North Star in the confusing world of widgets and wikis. The book is free to download, post on your site or blog or email to colleagues and friends. Technology Industry