With the release of MySpace Celebrity, Red Room, and the recent press for Yardbarker, I’ve really started to think around the concept of celebrities as bloggers. Those who pass the pen to their PR rep appear fake, calculated, and less than human. Those that really blog jeopardize deconstructing their carefully constructed images.

As a writer, I wish the best for Red Room and hope to find more blog content, especially from Amy Tan (a personal favorite) as the site matures; today there have only been 6 new blog posts from the Author Bloggers. The great thing about this site is that there is a purpose; it centers around a common passion for the written word that is shared by readers and writers alike.

As for Yardbarker, the sports community is incredibly active, and the shared connection is there, but the Athlete Bloggers are less engaged. The site only lists 10 recent posts within the last 6 days from athletes, which really isn’t too impressive given that the site claims to break down…

“…traditional barriers, allowing fans and athletes to debate sports, read and write articles, and watch videos.”

I do like the site though (I’m a member), and the athlete blogs available are worth reading, although all comments are moderated. For the most part, the athletes call it like they see it, which is admirable given the scrutiny they face from major media players like ESPN if they are too honest.

MySpace Celebrity fails to impress though. The site really seems to bank on the celebrity factor without offering much new celebrity content. The new site really just acts as a list of links directing users to celebrity profiles, which appear to just be the same old band or profile pages that existed before MySpace Celebrity launched.

If you’re interested in reading more from the celebrity crowd, check out this page that provides links and brief commentary about a number of celebrity bloggers. After doing a little exploring, I found John Mayer, Alec Baldwin, and Kevin Smith to all be very active and genuine bloggers. John Mayer blogs asking that Cowboy fans and Texans to give Jessica Simpson a break. Alec Baldwin gets real about the writer’s strike. And Kevin Smith goes so far as to share photos and get in the details of his current projects. I also give very minor kudos to Donald Trump and his group blog for Trump University. I appreciate the fact that he doesn’t author every post, and it definitely adds credibility to the endeavor that different people in the Trump circle are committed to sharing knowledge with readers. (Side note – I can’t totally support this blog, because I still have a sour taste in my mouth from last year’s spam attack by Trump and crew to get me to join Trump University).

The question of whether or not a celebrity makes a good blogger really boils down to whether or not the celebrity can step outside the protective womb of their media machine. Without a real voice, a celebrity blog is no better than a commercial or an advertisement, and we’ve all learned how see through these messages and get to the good stuff.

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