WebProNews

Nick Denton's Gawker Media is launching two new blogs today- Gridskipper, dedicated to travel ...

... and Lifehacker, which will examine software downloads and time-saving Web sites, Mediapostreports. Both blogs already have corporate marketers on board: Sony Electronics will sponsor Lifehacker, while Cheaptickets will likely sponsor Gridskipper. As I write this, both sites are password protected, but they will be live later today.

More from Mediapost:

"Nick Denton, publisher of Gawker Media, said that large businesses appear more comfortable with blogs now than in the past. "Blogs were more experimental back when Audi and Nike advertised on them," said Denton. "Companies are more open to advertising on the medium and discussing the campaigns."

Denton added that the exclusive interview that Bill Gates gave to Gizmodo at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month in Las Vegas will help legitimize blogs in general.

But the Gawker Media sites already are so large, and with such a loyal following, that they might attract large advertisers easier than most blogs, said Steve Rubel, public relations strategist and blogger at Micropersuasion.com. "Gawker Media crosses onto the gray area between blogs and media properties. With Gawker's readership and loyalty, it is almost in a class by itself.""

Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.