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To understand the power of the blog, the first of the social media offerings levied by open source Internet communication, you can look to the very top, or right down at your own keyboard.

When former Sen. John Edwards threw his hat into the ring as a candidate in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, he was flying in a private jet high above the nation he hopes to lead. From his airplane, he watched his announcement on the popular video Web site YouTube, which was playing his recorded address over the Internet.

On one side of the presidential candidate sat a photographer from Flickr, who was uploading photos to the online photo-sharing Web site. Nearby sat a videographer recording scenes to be uploaded to YouTube. A blogger was reading real-time responses about his announcement and a couple members of the print media also were there.

And among them all sat Robert Scoble, one of the most popular bloggers ever to enter a journal on the Internet. Aside from the print media reporters, all of those seated with Edwards were part of a revolution known as social media.

"The world is collapsing in terms of distance," he said. "It's changing how we're working together, building companies, how we're communicating with each other and learning about each other."

Social Media Club founder Chris Heuer has been there from the start. Since posting his first blog entry, he has helped teach and reshape marketing techniques through blogs and other social media tools.

"If you don't already use social media to talk to your customers, you already are behind the power curve," said Francine Hardaway, who also is chief executive of Phoenix-based Stealthmode Partners, a business consulting firm. "Your customers' online conversations increasingly control your brand. You had better get in the conversation yourself."

Scoble is widely known for his blog Scobleizer, which became popular during his three-year stint as technological evangelist for Microsoft Corp. Since starting the blog, an online journal where people can respond to the author's views, the 42-year-old has become an expert on innovative technologies that allow readers, listeners and viewers to take part in the gathering of news, opinions and facts.

Scoble, like others, defines social media as a conversation between authors and fact-finders and their audience. Unlike common media, newspapers, television and radio, social media brings others into the story, Scoble said. It has given a stronger voice to the public, empowering individuals

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