BlogWorks is the name of MS&L's blogging practice. MS&L Digital, with offices in Ann Arbor and Troy, Mich., is part of the Manning Selvage & Lee public relations agency, and is the agency of record for General Motors' FastLane and FYI blogs. Our goal is to educate clients about the blogosphere and to help them effectively participate in the marketplace conversations happening online. This blog will explore related issues.

Authors

Alicia Dorset is the blog editor for MS&L Digital. She works with General Motors on the FastLane and FYI blogs in addition to writing for BlogWorks and other online endeavors. Dorset joined the firm in 2006 after serving as a newspaper reporter, copy editor and designer for several years. When she's not blogging, she's most likely crafting.

Kai Blum has worked at MS&L since 2000 and is a senior account executive in the company's research division, MediaQuotient . He has been involved in media monitoring, reputation measurement , and search engine marketing projects for several Fortune 100 clients.

Jud Branam, managing director, joined the web in 1997 with InterZine Productions, a start-up focusing on sports communities, after 10 years of reporting for various Michigan newspapers. He later became a web consultant for Ford Motor Company and was one of the first employees of Hass Associates, a small, online PR firm that was later acquired by the MS&L network. Branam leads the Ann Arbor, Mich. office of MS&L, which focuses on technology PR initiatives including blogs.

Charlie Kondek has worked at MS&L since 2000, starting out in the company's research division, MediaQuotient, before switching to the PR Technology team as an account executive/web producer in June 2005. He has worked in advertising, journalism and as a freelance writer for web and print publications.

Laurie Mayers, deputy managing director, Ann Arbor, leads MS&L's PR Technology team. She joined MS&L in 2000 as a project manager for General Motors' communications web projects. She began working on the Internet in 1997, as a writer and editor on the motorsports startup www.irace.com, and later worked as a web consultant in Ford Motor Company's Public Affairs department. Before that, she had extensive experience editing and writing for magazines and daily newspapers in Belgium, Michigan, Connecticut, Florida, and Texas.

Chris Poterala is the director of MediaQuotient, MS&L Digital's analysis and monitoring group. Chris has worked online since the days of gophers, veronica and archie. He has more than 10 years of experience working in the online world, as a developer, project manager and researcher.

Melanie Seasons is an account executive for MS&L Digital's web outreach team. She is responsible for coordinating client accounts, pitching to new media outlets, and blog monitoring for clients like General Motors, Philips, and Proctor and Gamble. Prior to joining MS&L in 2006, Melanie did freelance work for Detroit's alternative culture weekly, Metro Times. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University.

Nichole Mrasek is the Web Project Manager at MS&L Digital in Ann Arbor. Nichole previously served as an Account Executive on the New Media Outreach team at MS&L Digital and on the Health, Wellness and Lifestyle team in the Atlanta office of MS&L. Nichole most recently worked with MS&L Atlanta on the Porsche Cars North America and Stiefel accounts, where she researched and monitored client news and industry trends, provided integral media relations support, participated in brainstorming sessions and handled many of the day-to-day tasks. Nichole also participated in and staffed special events and trade shows. She has planned logistics and coordinated media relations for Philips at the Sundance Film Festival from 2004 to 2007. Nichole has also worked on other accounts at MS&L, such as The Center for Puppetry Arts, General Motors and the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism, where she managed media monitoring and executed special events. Prior to joining the MS&L team, Nichole was an intern at The University of Georgia, working with clients at local Athens businesses and several non-profit organizations. Nichole is a graduate of the University of Georgia, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism, majoring in public relations and minoring in English.