A few weeks ago I talked about the benefit of journalists and bloggers working together.  More than a few members of the journalism community have expressed distaste for blogs and bloggers by calling them, among other things, "parasites."

Steve Petersen of the Bivings Group has written a great post called "16 Ways The News Media Can Use Blogs" that goes even further.  Instead of simply accepting the blogosphere, Petersen offers up more than a dozen ways for journalists and news publications to use blogging to their advantage.

1. Solicit ideas for coverage
2. Request feedback
3. Host user-generated blogs
4. Ongoing coverage
5. Interaction between journalists and readers
6. Cheap reporting on niche interests
7. Request help for coverage from the public
8. Get experts to interact
9. Non-journalists can report on areas of expertise
10. Sneak peaks at upcoming stories
11. Give journalists a way to share interests and passions
12. Share internal memos/information with the public
13. Defend editorial decisions
14. Provide case studies
15. Share what you're reading
16. Publish content that didn't "make the cut"

As you can see from the list, there are a ton of great ideas there.  And Petersen has provided explanation and links to examples in his blog post.

I don't think this list applies just to the news media, though.  Any company could do some of these things with a blog.  Corporate blogging is (thankfully) on the rise.  A blog can act as a more personal way to connect with your customers and can put a face on the company.  And let's not forget the obvious marketing benefits of a blog.

A blog is yet another way for your news organization or company to communicate with readers and customers.  They offer excellent ways to solicit feedback and engage users.  Companies that don't generate a lot of online content can particularly benefit from a blog because they keep customers coming back to your site.

And that's a good thing.  Right?