Blog Buddy Report

Last Updated: Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The Oil and The Glory:
The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune
on the Caspian Sea

by Steve LeVine

Published by Random House

About Your Blog Buddy Report:

Blog Buddy pairs your author with an experienced blogger, fanning out on the Internet every working day to create a buzz. Together, the author and their Blog Buddy search for opportunities, post messages, pitch blogmasters, respond to news stories, comment on postings, challenge fools, thank supporters, and have fun while getting the job done!

Sites Contacted

Global Voices
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/
10/24: Commented.

Right Pundits
http://www.rightpundits.com/

Agonist
http://agonist.org/
10/25: Registered.
10'26: Commented. Screen Capture.

The Oil Drum
http://www.theoildrum.com/
10/25: Registered.
10/26: Commented.

Juan Cole
http://www.juancole.com/
10/25: Registered. Commented.

AlterNet.org
http://www.alternet.org
10/29: Reviewed. Did not post.
11/1: Commented
11/9: Commented. Screen Capture.
11/21: Comment.

Registan
http://www.registan.net/
10/29: Registered.
10/31: SL added comment

Right Wing News
http://rightwingnews.com
10/29: Registered. Confirmed.
10/30: Commented

A Fistful of Euros
"European Opinion"
http://fistfulofeuros.net/
10/29: Visited. Don't need to register.
10/31: SL added comment

ProgressiveHistorians
http://www.progressivehistorians.com
10/29: Registered. Blogger ID.
10/31: SL added comment

The Washington Note
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/
10/29: Visited. Don't need to register.
10/31: SL added comment

The Peak Oil Store
http://www.peakoilstore.com/
10/29: Registered. Message Boards.
10/31: SL added comment

EurasiaNet
http://www.eurasianet.org/
10/30/07: No ability to comment or post. Each section of the site has a recommended reading section -- email to get added to appropriate sections. (Sections: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). SL should send letter to the editor once review appears: letters@eurasianet.org. Letter Policy: EurasiaNet welcomes letters from our readers. Letters to the editor should only be sent to EurasiaNet, and not to other publications. We do not publish open letters or third-party letters. Letters must include the writer's address and phone numbers. Letters sent as attachments will be discarded without being read. Writers of those letters selected for publication will be notified within a week. Letter should be no more than 350 words.
11/9: Review appeared.

The Roberts Report on Central Asia and Kazakhstan
10/31: Registered - Blogger ID.
11/1: Commented.

Authors & Experts
http://www.authorsandexperts.com/calendar.php
10/31: Registered. Events added calendar.

The Issue
http://theissue.com/
11/1: Commented.

BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com
11/2: SOK Registered.
11/3: Added comment on review of book.
Added another comment.
And another comment.
11/12: Commented.

FT.com
"Energy Filter" Blog
http://blogs.ft.com/energyfilter/
11/2: Reviewed. No registration required.
11/3: Commented.
11/19: Commented.
NOTE: This would be a good place for SL to stake out a position in the future.

Wall Street Journal's Energy Blog
http://blogs.wsj.com/energy/
11/12: Comment. Screen Capture.
11/19: Comment. Screen Capture.
NOTE: This would be a good place for SL to stake out a position in the future.

Pine River World News
http://pineriverspirit.blogspot.com/
11/15: Registered. Blogger ID. Only email comments allowed.

ABC.Money.UK
http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/
11/16: Commented.

ABC.AZ
http://abc.az/
11/16: No ability to add comments. Added site to Roundup post on SL's blog.

Silk Road Intelligencer
News and analysis from Kazakhstan
http://silkroadintelligencer.com/
11/16: Commented.

Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5300401.html
11/16: Registered.

Forbes
11/6: Commented. Commented on Book Club
11/9: Commented.

The Conjecturer:
"The Conjecturer is a collaborative blog, devoted mainly to international politics and issues, but with a healthy obsession with the lesser-known corners of pop culture."
http://www.conjecturer.com/
11/9: Comment. Screen Capture.
11/15: Comment.

Blood and Milk
"Useful links on health and humanitarian assistance."
http://alannashaikh.blogspot.com/
11/9: Comment. Screen Capture.

Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/
11/12: Story on "Russian Spy May Join Chevron-Led Pipeline." No ability to comment. SL sent email pitch to journalist offering book to Lucian Kim <lkim3@bloomberg.net>.

800CEOread.com
http://800ceoread.com/blog/
11/12: Commented. Screen Capture.

The Citizen Journalist
http://www.thecitizenjournalist.org/
11/12: Commented. Screen capture.

Concerning Reality
http://concerningreality.blogspot.com/
11/12: Commented. Screen capture.

World Affairs Board
http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/
11/19: Introductory post.
11/19: Comment. Screen Capture.

Powerswitch
"The UK's Peak Oil Discussion Forum & Community"
http://www.powerswitch.org/
http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/forum/index.php
11/15: SL started new topic on his book in "Books, Magazines & Film" forum:
11/19: Comment.

Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/
11/19: Registered. Commented. Screen Capture.

Energy Forum
http://energyforum.cc/forum/
11/19: Registered. Posted introduction.

UPI
11/19: Commented. Screen capture.
11/26: Comment. "KazMunayGaz's prosperity rises," By JOHN C.K. DALY
11/27: Comment. "Analysis: Oil and Gas Pipeline Watch," by SIOBHAN DEVINE

EnergyTeachers.org Online Forums
http://energyteachers.org/ETOForum/index.php
11/15: SL started new topic on his book in "Books" forum:

WindowonEurasia
http://windowoneurasia.blogspot.com/
11/15: Blogger ID. Added comment.

IntelliBriefs
"Intelli-Briefs bring you Intelligence briefs on Geopolitics, Security and Intelligence from around the world."
http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/
11/14: Use Blogger ID. Running excerpt. SL posted thank you.
11/15: Comment. Screen capture.
11/26: SL comment. "Georgia, Azerbaijan: A New Oil Terminal, and More Money for Baku"
NOTE: This would be a good place for SL to stake out a position in the future.

LA REVUE GAUCHE
" Left Analysis And Comment"
http://plawiuk.blogspot.com/
11/14: Comment to thread on pipeline safety. Screen capture.

NAACP National Voter Fund
"Promotes voting by African-Americans"
naacpnvf.org
11/14: Comment on Pakistan pipeline post.

Powerline
http://www.plnewsforum.com/
11/20: Comment.

What’s Wrong with the World
"Dispatches from the 10th Crusade"
Group Blog and a top blog for oil politics.
http://www.whatswrongwiththeworld.net/
11/21: Comment. Screen Capture.

Wonkette
http://wonkette.com/
11/20: SOK registered. Comment Policy: To become a registered commenter on this site, you first need to be approved by our team. We're looking for comments that are interesting, substantial or highly amusing. So write a comment, polish up your words and choose a username and password below. Your comment will only appear once (or if) you're approved.
11/21: Comment.

Crooks and Liars
John Amato’s virtual online magazine…OK, It’s a blog!
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
11/21: Commented. Screen Capture.

Daily Kos
http://www.dailykos.com/
11/20: SOK registered. "There is a 24-hour waiting period for new comments."
11/21: Comment on Pakistan. Screen capture.
11/27: Comment.

Global Voices
11/26: Comment on story that mentions SL:
"Kazakhstan: Economic Crisis Aftermaths,"
by Adil Nurmakov Thursday, November 22nd, 2007

db330
"To identify people and organizations who are against a strong, prosperous, and sovereign Russian Federation"
11/26: Comment on this story mentioning SL.
"Steve LeVine: Reporter calls for central Asian intervention," by Alison Sider

Energy Outlook
http://energyoutlook.blogspot.com/
11/27: Blogger registration. Comment. Screen Capture.

Econbrowser
"Analysis of current economic conditions and policy"
11/27: No register required. Comment on "Relief on oil supplies." Screen Capture.

The Existentialist Cowboy
http://existentialistcowboy.blogspot.com/
11/27: Blogger registration. Comment. Screen Capture.

Peak Oil Message Boards
http://www.peakoil.com/
11/27: Registered.

SLATE
the fray "our reader discussion forum"
http://fray.slate.com/discuss/
11/21: SOK preregistered. Searching is tricky.
11/21: SL to post as homework.

Journalists Contacted

Pine River World News
http://pineriverspirit.blogspot.com/2007/11/news-briefing-14-november-2007.html
11/15: Registered. Blogger ID. Only email comments allowed.
11/15: Email to blogmaster "Steve in Wisconsin" <northwoods_ds@yahoo.com>

CultureChange
"Culture Change is a regular series of reports and essays mostly by Jan Lundberg, a former oil-industry insider. He formed the Sustainable Energy Institute in 1988"
http://culturechange.org/
11/12: Sent email to: culturechange@lists.mutualaid.org, info@culturechange.org

Chicago Tribune
11/26: Email journalist on this story mentioning SL:
"Can Azeri oil grease Olympics bid?"
by Alex Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune foreign correspondent.
Alex Rodriguez <ajrodriguez@tribune.com>

Life After the Oil Crash
"Deal With Reality or Reality Will Deal With You"
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
Top peak oil site run by Matt Savinar
11/27: Sent email to Matt@LifeAfterTheOilCrash.net

CNN/Money
UPDATE: Iraq KRG Oil Min: To Sign 20 E&P Contracts By Early '08
11/27: SL sent email to colleague Ian Talley at Dow Jones with tip of the hat on this article. Ian Talley, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9285; ian.talley@dowjones.com

Sites Reviewed

Lindsay Fincher
http://www.lindsayfincher.com/2007/11/the_oil_and_the_glory_the_purs.html
11/20: Has great review of O&G. SL already commented, 11/17. Might want to ask permission to reprint reviews on O&G Blog at some point.

Cambridge Forecast Group Blog
GAS & OIL RESEARCH
September 21, 2007 at 12:01 pm | In Oil & Gas, Research, Russia |
http://cambridgeforecast.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/gas-oil-research/
11/20: Strange blog but no ID required to comment.
11/20: Hard to figure out how to comment. Not a priority site.

Peak Oil and Simpol
http://peakoilandsimpol.blogspot.com/
11/14: Blogger ID.

EnergyBulletin.net
EnergyBulletin.net is a clearinghouse for information regarding the peak in global energy supply.
http://energybulletin.net/
11/14: Running excerpt from book. No mechanism for comments.

Sample author and book blogs:
News Summary blog
Personal Opinion/Diary blog
Video Blog

Resources you can use in researching news and blogs:
Google News Search
Google Blog Search
Google Alerts

Forbes Top Political Blogs
NOTE: List is outdated -- from 2004. Don't use.

Digg.com Top Political News
11/20: Use Digg categories to find promising blogs -- don't search. SL registered.

Reddit.com
Social networking rating site.
11/20: SL registered. Large source of traffic to his site.

Find and using copyright-free images for blog posts:
Creative Commons Stock
Flickr Stock
Wikipedia Public Domain Images
US Census

Keystrokes & Other Stuff

Keystrokes:
CTRL-F = Find -- use to find a word or words on the current page.
SEARCH = Find references to keywords anywhere on the site, not just on the current page.
CTRL-T = Open a new tab in the browser

Screen Capture Command: For Mac, Command+Shift+4 turns cursor into crosshairs. Click and drag crosshairs to select a portion of the current screen to take a picture of. Let go to take snapshot. Saved to desktop at "Picture1.jpg". Need to rename image immediately to remember what it is a picture of. Very helpful for documenting work online.

Toggle Command for Mac: Use Command-Tab to toggle back and forth between two open applications, such as Skype and Browser. Keep the Command key down when hitting Tab to choose among open applications to toggle to. Very helpful for speeding work online.

Annotated Link = Name of Site + URL + Brief Description
Standard for roundups, sidebars, tracking reports, directories, etc.