Matt Marshall, long of the SJMN and SiliconBeat, has launched his own site, VentureBeat. Congrats on going solo, Matt! Matt is working with FM, and I'm proud to be associated with him and his work.

FM is looking for a Senior Accounting Manager with experience in media/advertising sales, to fill a back office accounting role. This position will report to the VP of Operations.

Core Responsibilities include:

• Manage budgeting and finance activities for the company
• Achieve accurate and timely preparation and dissemination of monthly financial statements, regular quarterly closings and annual audited financial statements and budgets.
• Manage and oversee all disbursements, ensuring the accurate and timely processing of accounts payable, cash management, payroll processing, corporate and payroll taxes.
• Manage all components of accounts receivable activities.
• Closely manage and monitor cash flow.
• Establish and maintain internal control system to ensure the integrity of the data, and ensure accurate record keeping.
• Assure compliance with all applicable tax and government compliance provisions
• Create and maintain an accounting policies and procedures manual
• Data entry required
• Other projects as assigned

Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of experience as an Accounting Manager
• Demonstrated expertise in applying generally accepted accounting principles.
• Degree in Accounting or Finance
• Experience with internet advertising is preferred
• Two years experience with Quickbooks
• MBA or CPA not required but is a plus
• Excellent computer skills, including Excel, Word and Powerpoint
• Fluency in both Macintosh and PC environments

Ideal Candidates will also possess:

• Ability to prioritize work flow
• Flexibility in approach and willingness to adapt when necessary
• Proactive and action oriented personality; comfort with fast pace and strong sense of urgency.
• Ability and experience working productively and proactively both independently and as part of a team
• Strong problem solving skills; solutions focus

At FM, our mission is to support independent website authors and audiences, by connecting them to marketers in an ongoing and robust conversation that feeds everyone involved. Please see more about FM here: http://www.federatedmedia.net/

FM represents outstanding authors whose sites cater to cultural influencers, technology decision makers, and business leaders. Our first federation, focused on digital culture, currently reaches millions and millions of readers every month. New federations in the media/entertainment, parenting, and small business categories, representing millions of entrepreneurs, consumers, and families, are in the process of launching as well.

For more info, please contact Jason - jlw at federatedmedia dot net

That's what Biz 2 says, and Biz 2, by the way, has a major piece on blogging as a business, featuring a bunch of FM authors and FM itself to boot.

But back to the new competition from the Washington Post. It's not looking much like FM, but if anyone out there has any questions or is confused, please email me at jbat @ federated media dot net. Happy to chat about it.

Now, back to the other piece. I'm pleased at how much space B2 devoted to understanding FM's model. It's not an easy thing to grok, and you have to be willing to spend some time stewing in the informing history of media and marketing models. And it even has some data, which I will admit is accurate:

FM's eight-person sales force has been aggressively approaching big marketers, armed with detailed and persuasive demographics. The data has helped FM steadily boost ad rates on its sites. The average CPM doubled in the past six months to roughly $8. The aim is to get rates between $20 and $30, which, Battelle says, would put his blogs on par with sites like CNET and NYTimes.com. But thanks to the uneconomies-of-scale twist, overhead at FM sites like Boing Boing, Battelle's top act, is almost invisible compared with that of any mainline media concern.

One thing though - that 8 person sales force is about to get much bigger. Things at FM are really picking up, and I think I know why: our authors are the best at what they do, and marketers are starting to realize it.

Matt Jessel joins us this week as a Sausalito-based sales account executive. Matt spent the last two years working in Sales and Marketing for Wired Magazine and Conde Nast Publications. Prior to that he studied Marketing and Management at The University of Montana School of Business Administration. Matt marks our seventh hire in sales, an area we are growing rapidly, given that we now have more than 75 authors signed on to the FM network! Welcome, Matt!

As Chas points out, our partner Newsvine had some really cool things to say about us recently...

...the sell-through rate on Newsvine has improved dramatically thanks to the efforts of FM Publishing and their sales staff. A little patience on behalf of Newsvine and the community is starting to pay off with ads this month from the likes of Apple Computer (!!!), The New York Times, CNBC, Ing, Disney, JetBlue, and a host of others. All of these great companies advertising on Newsvine, and guess what? No bouncing George Bush heads, no seizure-inducing screensaver pitches, no popunders, and nothing else that would detract from the user experience of the site.

This is a major reason why FM and Newsvine are working together. We both believe in showcasing tasteful, relevant advertising around tasteful, relevant content. We're still in the beginning stages of developing the site and helping contributors monetize their content, but this month represents a big step forward.

You ever wonder who's behind this startup? Recently we had the chance to have nearly all of our staff in one place - from Portland, New York, and California. We got this photo taken - but then went and hired two more folks, so expect another shot soon...from left to right, top to bottom: Bill Brazell, Jennifer Charette, Jo Quicho, Chas Edwards, Bernie Albers, Melanie Colburn, James Gross, Andy Yang, Jonas Halpern, John Battelle, Justin Watt, Celeste Chin, Lovisa Taylor, Jonathan Schreiber, Andre Torrez, and Jason Weisberger. Not pictured: Chris Frerecks, Matt Jessels, and Pamela Parker.

A great new batch of authors have joined the FM family in the past month or so. You'll see a focus on our parenting, business&marketing, and automobile federations, with some notable additions in technology and momentum as well. Please welcome:

Freakonomics
Fed: Business/Marketing
Stephen Dubner
http://www.freakonomics.com/blog

Real World Technology
Fed: Tech
Dean Kent, David Kanter
www.realworldtech.com

Top Speed
Fed: Auto
Philippe Daix
http://www.topspeed.com

Truth About Cars, The
Fed: Auto
Robert Farago
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

Five Blogs Before Lunch
Fed: Business/Marketing
Dave Ibsen
http://daveibsen.typepad.com

Hawaiirama
Fed: Media/Entertainment
Alexander Salkever
http://www.hawaiirama.com

Auto Spies
Fed: Auto
Donald Buffamanti
http://www.autospies.com

Dragon Head Almost Destroyed Me
Fed: Business/Marketing
Stuart Wallace
http://www.dhadm.com/

TransBuddha
Fed: Media/Entertainment
Aaron Weber
http://www.transbuddha.com/

Dad Gone Mad
Fed: Parenting
Daniel Evans
http://www.dadgonemad.com

Internet Outsider
Fed: Tech
Henry Blodget
http://www.internetoutsider.com

Left Lane News
Fed: Auto
Nick Aziz, Monish Bhatia
http://leftlanenews.com/

Mad Professor
Fed: Tech
Mark Frauenfelder
http://www.madprofessor.net/

Cartoon Brew
Fed: Media/Entertainment
Amid Amidi
http://www.cartoonbrew.com

Finslippy
Fed: Parenting
Alice Bradley
http://finslippy.typepad.com

Laid Off Dad
Fed: Parenting
Frank Golding
http://laidoffdad.typepad.com/lod/

Sphere
Fed: Momentum
Tony Conrad
http://www.sphere.com

As you might have guessed from our job posting for sales staff in NY, we've just hired a head of NY Sales, Chris Frerecks. Chris is at this moment finding office space and interviewing staff in New York. He's been passionate about web-based media since the mid' 90's, having worked for various high profile properties, including Wired and Marketwatch. In 2002, he and a partner created Directory Xpress, Inc. and MyInfoPage in order to develop blog solutions for the local enterprise. More recently he took on the role of National Director of Sales for Umbria, a data-mining concern based in Boulder, CO. If you're on the East coast and want to contact Chris, ping him at cfrerecks@federatedmedia.net.

Welcome to FM, Chris!

(Oct. 3) Update on Chris:

We want to thank Chris Frerecks -- a good one that got away. Chris was an enormous help in opening FM's NY office, and we're grateful for his leadership and initiative. Unfortunately Chris and his wife, Melissa, could not make the permanent move to New York from Denver. We wish him well.

We are looking for an Account Coordinator, who will be responsible for supporting the sales team in executing and monitoring the online advertising programs of Federated Media's network. This individual will work with the Account Manager and the sales team to ensure campaign execution as well as provide optimal client service support for assigned Advertisers and Agencies. The Account Coordinator will serve as a point of contact for client inquires and requests pertaining to their advertising programs. This includes: client presentations,  advertising creative deadlines, technical specifications, and inventory availability, and tracking impression delivery. Additionally, the account Coordinator will work closely with clients as well as the Account Executive to maximize effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. 

Responsibilities: 
* Work with Sales team and other departments to assist in the creation of client presentations, and Media Plans. 
* Verify inventory availability throughout the sales process  
* Communicate ad specifications and creative lead times to advertisers/Agencies 
* Collect creative from client and verify specifications 
* Create and traffic accurate campaigns in ad delivery system and implement any necessary creative changes/optimizations. 
* Monitor campaigns and ensure campaign delivery 
* Manage campaign performance and make optimization recommendations 
* Provide clients/sales with any necessary campaign reporting 
* Interact with Accounting department in regards to Client Credit and Billing requests/issues 
* Provide Sales administrative/Account related support

Qualifications:
 The successful candidate must be Sales focused and must have direct experience in the Internet and/or Advertising industries. The ideal candidate will possess a BA/BS degree (or equivalent training and experience), and will have at least 2-4 years work experience in a sales or sales support related role. Ideal candidate is extremely detail-oriented, exceptionally organized, has the ability to multitask and manage multiple accounts, possesses strong written and verbal communication skills, solid computer/technical skills, and thrives in a start-up, deadline orientated environment. To apply, contact Lovisa at ltaylor at federatedmedia dot net.

FM partner Digg is enjoying a major brush with the bright lights of major media via this BizWeek cover story. The story is well done, but the best part is to read the comments of diggers talking about the story...

Update: Kevin responds: I don't have $60 million! I'm saving up for a couch...

We need some good people to work with as we open in the Big Apple:

We're looking for high-energy account executives with at least 3 years of online advertising sales experience. The perfect candidate will have a feel for how Blogs/ Web 2.0 are impacting media AND existing relationships with media buyers & advertising clients. Required skills include fluency with media-buying terminology (eg, CPM v. CPA, reach v. frequency, GIF v. Flash), familiarity with online ad-serving platforms (eg, Doubleclick's Mediavisor), proficiency with Excel and Powerpoint. Must be a clear and concise communicator. The position will report to FM's Eastern Director of Sales.

Interested? Contact Chris, cf@federatedmedia.net , or 970 471 3079

This will catch us up to about a month or so ago.

All Kinds of Stuff
http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/
Author: John Kricfalusi
Fed: Media & Entertainment

Amalah
http://www.amalah.com/
Author: Amy (last name withheld)
Fed: Parenting

Celebrity Baby Blog
http://www.celebrity-babies.com/
Author: Danielle Friedland
Fed: Parenting

DadCentric
http://www.dadcentric.com/
Lead: Jason Avant
Fed: Parenting

Drink of the Week
http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/
Author: Jonas Halpren
Fed: Media & entertainment

Make
http://www.makezine.com/
Author: Dale Dougherty
Fed: Technology

Metroblogging
http://www.metroblogging.com/
Lead: Sean Bonner
Fed: Media & Entertainment

Oh Gizmo!
http://ohgizmo.com/
Author: David Ponce
Fed: Tech

Pop URLs
http://popurls.com/
Author: Thomas Marban
Fed: Momentum

PSFK
http://www.psfk.com
Author: Piers Fawkes
Fed: Small Business/Entrepreneurship

Revision3
http://www.revision3.com/
Lead: David Prager
Fed: Tech

Springwise
http://www.springwise.com/
Lead: Reinier Evers
Fed: Small Business/Entrepreneurship

Suburban Bliss
http://www.suburbanbliss.net/
Author: Melissa Summers
Fed: Parenting

True Films
http://www.truefilms.com
Author: Kevin Kelly
Fed: Media & Entertainment

I'll post the next batch in a week or two...

Continuing our tour through the growth of the FM network, here are the sites which joined in April of this year. I've also noted the federation they've joined, though some are cross tagged in more than one federation. You can see how our network is growing new federations, in particular Momentum (where community driven sites drive new ideas, stories, and traffic across the web) and in Parenting.

The Proceedings of the Athanasius Kircher Society
http://www.kirchersociety.org/blog/
Author: Athanasius Kircher (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
Fed: Media/Entertainment

Mobilecrunch
http://mobilecrunch.com
Author: Oliver Starr
Fed: Tech

Read/Write Web
http://www.readwriteweb.com
Author: Richard MacManus
Fed: Tech

Infectious Greed
http://paul.kedrosky.com
Author: Paul Kedrosky
Fed: Tech

Paper Napkin
http://papernapkin.typepad.com/papernapkin/
Author: Sheryl Jenkins
Fed: Parenting

Reddit
http://reddit.com
Lead: Alexis Ohanian
Fed: Momentum

Newsvine
http://www.newsvine.com
Lead: Mike Davidson
Fed: Momentum

Small Business Trends
http://www.smallbiztrends.com
Author: Anita Campbell
Fed: Small Business/Entrepreneurship

Lost Remote
http://www.lostremote.com
Authors: Cory Bergman and Steve Safran
Fed: Media/Entertainment

Tailrank
http://tailrank.com
Lead: Kevin Burton
Fed: Momentum

Smart Mobs
http://www.smartmobs.com
Author: Howard Rheingold et al.
Fed: Tech

The Mommy Blog
http://www.themommyblog.com
Author: Mindy Roberts
Fed: Parenting

I've been very, very slow to crow about the great sites that are joining FM, and that needs to change. So here are the authors who joined our network in March of this year:

o Tom Evslin (Fractals of Change)
http://blog.tomevslin.com
o Ed Bott (Windows Expertise and Media Central)
http://www.edbott.com/weblog
o Michelle Miller (Wonderbranding)
http://www.michelemiller.blogs.com/marketing_to_women/
o Wagner James Au (New World Notes)
http://nwn.blogs.com/
o Salvatore Cangeloso (XYZ Computing)
http://www.xyzcomputing.com/
o Thomas Hawk
http://thomashawk.com/
o Stowe Boyd (/Message)
http://www.stoweboyd.com/message
o Alex Boese (Museum of Hoaxes)
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/
o Fred Wilson (A VC)
http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/
o Asha Dornfest (Parent Hacks)
http://www.parenthacks.com/

That catches us up to April! More coming in the next post....

Well, they lost Pamela Parker to us, but clearly ClickZ is paying attention. I couldn't agree more with this column by contributor Mark Kingdon, Organic's CEO.

Last year, blogs were considered an emerging medium for advertisers. Now they're all grown up. Major advertisers have overcome their concerns about advertising on blogs. Blog networks have emerged that help advertisers aggregate audiences efficiently. Traditional digital advertising standards are being applied. It feels like a mature market, except it's growing -- fast. And it's still a very small part of the digital media mix.

If you haven't refreshed your blogging strategy recently, it's time you did.