This morning I came across this manifesto from Sarah Dopp, author of "Dopp Juice" - The Suck-Free Internet Manifesto.  I agreed with the whole thing, but a few parts stuck out for me:

I believe that all web-based interactions operate on the same principles as in-person interactions....

I believe in social capital. I believe that if you have something to sell or promote, your existing relationship to a community determines your ability to get what you want when you ask for favors or put things in front of people. I believe that if you want your community to support you, you need to first support your community.

I believe you cannot escape the practical importance of personal ethics by doing business on the Internet, even if you attempt to be anonymous.

Since I would love to speak like the British, my first thought was "Spot on!"
 
Here at Zócalo Group, we believe in establishing relationships with our online environment - bloggers, community moderators and the like.  You don't just send out a bunch of emails and expect people to get all excited about a brand; you have to first show how what you're sending can help or support the blogger, whether that's a content idea, a new reader, or something that their readers might find cool.

You can't just treat a blogger like another marketing tool - they're people, someone who's taking the time out to write about something that interests them.  And you must do this ethically and with transparency and require them to do so as well.
 
And then...  things suck less.