I took a long weekend, so (1) I've been away from the bloggy side of things, and (2) I have a butt-load of work to catch up on. So I'm kicking off my affiliate-marketing-blog week with a linkup because, well, I have other things to do. There's some good leads and reads here, though, so I'm not completely copping out. MySpace seems to be courting the online media spotlight again, there are some tips on how to SEO your blog for branding purpoes, and a few more things. In any case, I hope that you enjoy...

News Blaze
More Space for MySpace: Murdoch puts a stake in the heart of broadcast TV -- Just because user generated content is going anywhere any time soon, that doesn't mean that it's going to be a front-and-center-media-darling forever. Well, it looks like its fall from grace might be underway with a coup de grace being spearheaded by Rupert Murdoch's MySpace.

Hip Mojo
Facebook’s Value is Maximized If and Only If… -- Facebook still is a front-and-center-media-darling, and will probably continue to be at least for the next 6-12 months. In any case, it looks like Ashkan is agrees with me that Facebook as ridiculous demographic potential.

My Affiliate Journey
Blog Contests: Make Them Worthwhile To Participate In -- The difference between a successful and unsuccessful online contest is the difference between streaking your high school convocation and being pants while delivering your valedictorian speech: in one case, you own the audience, on the one, the audience owns you. There's nothing as embarassing as a contest that no one enters. That's why Vlad is examining how you can make sure that your online contests don't backfire as marketing tools.
Title Optimization: Should You Use Title To Brand Your Blog? -- Online marketing that ignores SEO is impotent. Not surprisingly, then, branding anything online requires some SEO consideration. Well, Vlad is wondering just where title tags come into the process of brandign your blog.

Times Online
The 50 Best Business Blogs -- If you're reading this, then (1) you care about online business and marketing, and (2) you know that blogs matter in the world of new media. Well, here's a Top 50 list that you might want to take a gander at then. It's dvided by market niche, which is pretty cool. (Hat Tip My Name is Kate).

Top Rank Blog
5 Pros and Cons of SEO Consultant vs Agency -- Some things are better left outsourced, and unless you're a multi-national web-conglomerate, SEO is probably one of those for you. Well, Lee Odden is listing 5 pros and 5 cons of going with an SEO agency or consultant respectively.