We were discussing who we would like blogging for us over a nibble and a tipple the other day, and I thought it might make a good post. So here’s my shot at it :

As a Web Network Magazine — as opposed to a “blog network” — we’d obviously be looking for people who gaze outward towards the mainstream, rather than obsessives locked into the echo-system of the unadulterated blogospheric geekhouse. No offence intended to those goodly souls.

One : Back when the Robert Scoble Departure story reverberated around the echo chamber, and even made the BBC, I offered Robert a berth here at Syntagma. He was very kind. He turned it down.

He then tried to poach Jason Calacanis from AOL to his modest startup podcast outfit. He’s obviously as attracted to the impossible as I am.

Jason, meanwhile, was trying to entice Amanda Congdon, who had just left Rocketboom. Lots of people try to entice Amanda Congdon.

Do you sense a circular movement going on here? An image of sharks in the ocean rises unbidden. Anyway, I’d still like to have Robert blogging for Syntagma in our geek section.

Why? Because of his unrepentant energy, which pours out on-the-button posts like a Maxim gun. That kind of “accurate” steam-power is hard to find, even in mainstream media.

Two : Mike Rundle. Mike is part of the 9rules net cluster and has interests which include Web design plus an awesome grasp of metrics and the underlying arts of the internet. He also “gets” what we’re trying to do here at Syntagma, as so many others don’t.

Three : Chris Pearson. A young Web designer who writes like a pro, designs like an angel (The Blog Herald and TLA), and has an eye on the print world, a sure sign of sanity.

Four : Seth Godin. I’ve read many of the critiques against him : narrowly-focused, academic, boringly marketing-centered etc. He has one overwhelming virtue though which flattens the carpers : the ability constantly to surprise and pluck purple cows from the air. Every Web Network Magazine needs a magician. Seth holds the wand for us.

Five : Stephen Baker of BusinessWeek Blogspotting is an old-hand print journalist who can write punchy and interesting blog posts, while simultaneously researching a cover story for BusinessWeek’s print magazine. In his spare time he’ll even toss you off a book about math(s). A great guy to have on the bridge in a squally sou’wester.

I could add more but I think that’s enough for one blog post. Any other ideas?

None of this constitutes an offer of a job. But my ears are always open to ideas from people we admire.