As far as blogs go that talk about blogging as a way of business promotion, I dug up this blog on celebrity-copulation for popularity, specifically by reading Scalzi's post on it while listening to the Braindead Monkeys' latest album "Haiku".
As far as the first blog goes, I have to say that Scalzi's interpretation is pretty spot-on. Star-fuckery (am I allowed to say that here?) is unattractive and messy, and nobody likes attention-whoring anyway.
I mean, really. "Exploring ways of working together in win-win ways." "pick 5 top-100 blogs that I felt worked well with my target market". "engage in social media marketing campaigns". Or my favorite, "Doing public speaking. Sort of a like a party, right? But it’s a party where everyone is listening to you".
Seriously now, children.
Yes, blogging can be used as a way to attract a larger audience to one's products, viewpoints, etc. For example, I found Scalzi's blog when I stumbled across one of his more entertaining posts, and now I buy his books. Before, I had never even heard of the guy (sorry, John!).
On the other hand, though, blogs certainly aren't the one and only way to market oneself to the public. One way, for example, is to just put your stuff out there and hope to god people notice. You can contact advertising agencies if you've got enough money. You can use word of mouth - talk to your buddy, who will talk to their buddy who will talk to their buddy and so on.
Most of all, though...put out a quality product. If Scalzi's writing sucked, I wouldn't read his blog or his books. If the Braindead Monkeys didn't make...noise...that broke the suck-o-meter so hard it divided by zero and looped back into the realm of pure friggin' awesome, I wouldn't listen to it.
As for what a blog can do that other things can't? Well, reach a massive online audience, for one. Serve as a home for certain elements of internet culture nothing else really can (LOLcats, anyone?). Make your material available internationally, 24/7, for peer review.
Most of all, though, it allows you to connect to your audience. Talk with people you've never met before, let them talk with you, get to know people, broaden your horizons, and hopefully, with a little luck, learn a little bit.
Are blogs effective alternatives to sucking? No. Nothing on the internet is an alternative to sucking.
Go outside.
Really.
To actually answer the question of whether blogs are a viable alternative for other methods of advertising for up-and-coming entrepeneurs, though...not so much a viable alternative as a worthwhile addition. while blogging isn't exactly the be-all and end-all of entrepreneurial advertising, it certainly doesn't hurt.
Most of the time.
As the Braindead Monkeys say,
"Anyone can suck.
But we make it an art form.
Please to kill us now!"
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