Shel Israel has posted Chapter 4 of The Red Couch - Direct Access. As usual, good stuff.

I like the thought he opens with: that blogging can give a company more control over how its message is transmitted than traditional PR. I like it because so many of the doubters imply that taking up blogging means a loss of control. I think the reality is more complex and interesting. Shel points out the many companies that get lots of press coverage feel frustrated by the slant and inaccuracies of mainstream media. As a more open system, blogging allows them to get their views on the record verbatim and unmediated.