The read/write web has dramatically changed the Internet, and for the better. With a few key strokes and the click of a mouse, web writers can now publish news and information more quickly and that means all kinds of news, including fashion and jewelry news, which I cover here.

The electronic apparatus has provided an outlet for jewelry journalists like myself and many others to report on trends and information much more quickly than the mainstream hardcopy media has ever been able to do. Blogging, when you have a quality blog and loyal readers, does bring with it some power. Many public relations professionals have realized this, and they are on board and appreciate the whole idea of blog editors and what they do to inform their readership. So far, knock on wood, I have meet some wonderful, helpful PR folks. But with power comes controversy, and the blogosphere is always full of plenty of that, even in the jewelry and fashion blogopshere.

Some of the latest controversy surrounds a PR person who freaked on a well known blog, the Bag Snob, because the editors would not agree to give press time to a product they felt was inferior :

We promptly contacted them and told them we'd return the bags and will not be able to include them in our monthly giveaway but the PR girl turned nasty and started sending us harassment emails with racist overtones. Let's see, she accused us of using fake last names because our names are English/European yet we don't look European (Basically non-white people are not allowed to have European surnames according to this genius PR girl) and then she accused us of trying to scam them of $150 (wholesale price) bags?!?!??! How is it a scam if we didn't want to keep the hideous bags for our giveaway?

Wake up "PR girl." The power of the blog is here. In fact, it is now mowing you over, racing past you, leaving you behind.

The Bag Snob editors continue to cover this as emails fly back and forth, so you can keep up on it directly at their blog, as well as hear what other fashion bloggers are saying about it.