After blogging for about a year, I’m excited to announce that I’ve been listed in my first “media database.” Yesterday, I received an email from Cision (which runs MediaSource, a press database for PR pros) saying:

Your I’m No June Cleaver blog caught our attention and we have added it to our online database. The listing is free of charge and our clients are communications professionals who want to find the best-suited bloggers to send topical, relevant press materials to.

I don’t fall into that category of bloggers that complains about PR spam and junk emails. I’m excited for my first unsolicited press release, and hope to work with some great companies (some of the best are the ones you’ve never heard of and wouldn’t have gone looking for – which is one of the joys of being a product reviewer). Products like Smelly Washer (I would never have thought to go look for something that would keep my washing machine smelling nice…didn’t that it could smell nice, and had no idea that such a product existed) and my new light skin peel from Natural Skin Shop are fantastic, and now that I have them, I couldn’t imagine being without them. BUT, I never would have gone out on my own to look for them.

I’ve worked with some eager and some standoff-ish PR pros over the last decade, both in my life as a “real journalist” and now in my life as a blogger. The one thing I definitely notice is, as a journalist in a newsroom, I may have tested a product for a short period (enough to get a sense of its function and write an honest review) and then move on to the next item so that I could fill my quota of 6 – 8 products a week for our product page (on top of my other writing responsibilities). By the following week, I’d forgotten half the products I’d reviewed.

As a blogger, I have the item in question in my home. I don’t use it momentarily and turn it over to some newsroom gatekeeper who adds it to a pile of other product samples so they can either be donated or sold at the end of the year. You may call it compensation (but I always disclose when I receive product for review), but I call it locking in a consumer. About half the time, when I get a free product sample or service in exchange for review, I’m back again buying the same thing a week, month, or quarter later, when I run out, can afford the splurge, or have a need for it again. And because I get to REALLY sample the products I’m reviewing, I also develop a brand loyalty and a dependency on that product. When my friends come over, they see my new detergent, or my new skincare/makeup products. They sure as hell know where my clothes came from, and they’re going to go out and shop too – and women take product advice from friends SERIOUSLY. Forget that old cliche about not wearing the same thing as your friends. I know at least two of my gal pals have gone out and purchased some amazingly hot item that they saw me wearing. But I digress.

As I mentioned previously – I’m listed. I feel a sense of accomplishment, like now I can really call myself a “blogger,” or like I’m now really a member of the media, because a third party (who isn’t my husband or friends and who is free to offer honest feedback), felt that I was worth promoting to the masses and endorsing to PR pros by saying, “Yep – she’s legit, you can trust her with your product samples and press releases.” So today, I say thank you Cision – you’ve made my week! Oh, and before I forget, check out my listing!

Geared toward twenty-something women with urban tastes. Coverage includes dining and wine, entertainment, fashion, beauty, personal health, home and travel. Additionally features profiles and reviews of products, services and websites.

The fundamentals of working with bloggers are the same as with traditional journalists at traditional media outlets: respect their schedules; take time to read their material to learn their interests; and only contact them if/when they want to be contacted. You will also find that if a blogger is a journalist for another outlet(s), Cision tracks their contact preferences there as well.

The outlet offers RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

Living in a condo, one of the things that you quickly have to adjust to is: every inch matters. Bulky furniture, extra dishes, every item in the condo has to be carefully weighed to avoid having an over-cluttered, claustrophobic, environment. That’s why, when I heard of the announcement of the Asus Cine5, I as thrilled. One of my evil vices is watching TV and movies in bed, and now that I’ve got my new BlueRay, I could use some real sound to compensate for my outdated TV, which I have yet to update.

Surround sound systems can be tricky in bedrooms, particularly when you’re renting and the floors are hardwood. Economical systems have wires that have to be hidden, and wireless units are often too pricey for use. Surround sound bars are typically sized for a 42 inch or larger set.

Thankfully, Asus had a product that solved my problem. The Cine5 PC speaker, which works with TV sets of all sizes, as well as computers, claims that it accurately recreates the surround sound experience in a small package. The system, which is around 15 inches long, has five speakers, and even features a headphone jack – which is perfect for use with computers or late-night TV viewing after the hubby has gone to bed (I still can’t get away with it, because I can’t adjust my TV screen’s brightness, and the light bothers him).

From the press release:

the ASUS Cine5 PC speaker which provides accurate 5-channel surround sound in personalized spaces such as study rooms. With its all-in-one design, the Cine5 delivers realistic and dynamic surround sound to satisfy consummate gamers and personal entertainment users. To deliver exceptionally full sound from a compact form factor, ASUS drew on its expertise in high-performance audio cards during the development.

I’m anxious to see when the speaker will go on sale, and what its price will eventually be.