During the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, many desperate fans of genre television turn to the web for updates on where the story-lines for Heroes or Lost are headed -- or might be headed if and when the strike ends. Those TV enthusiasts can choose from ay number of online fan sites, but the best sources of insider news and predictions come from blogs maintained by a given show's top producers and writers.

For example, as reported here by Jenna Wortham, a Battlestar Galactica-related blog written by series executive producer Ronald D. Moore discusses Moore's work, his thoughts on the strike, the status of his show, etc. Moore manages to steer clear from discussing the creative aspects of BSG in any detail -- a sensible move if you consider he could violate strike rules if he did.

According to Jonathan Handel, entertainment attorney, "A TV show's fictional blog is just 'an extension of the same show,' and the writing (by a WGA member) is therefore prohibited."

The mysterious writer has used his blog, the Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, to lampoon Mr. Jobs and his reputation as a difficult and egotistical leader, as well as to skewer other high-tech companies, tech journalists, venture capitalists, open-source software fanatics and Silicon Valley's overall aura of excess.

The acerbic postings of "Fake Steve," as he is known, have attracted a plugged-in readership - both the real Mr. Jobs and Bill Gates have acknowledged reading the blog (fakesteve.blogspot.com). At the same time, Fake Steve has evaded the best efforts of Silicon Valley's gossips to discover his real identity.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Daniel Lyons, a senior editor at Forbes magazine who lives near Boston, has been quietly enjoying the attention.

"I'm stunned that it's taken this long," said Mr. Lyons, 46, when a reporter interrupted his vacation in Maine on Sunday to ask him about Fake Steve. "I have not been that good at keeping it a secret. I've been sort of waiting for this call for months."

Mr. Lyons writes and edits technology articles for Forbes and is the author of two works of fiction, most recently a 1998 novel, "Dog Days." In October, Da Capo Press will publish his satirical novel written in the voice of the Fake Steve character, "Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs, a Parody."

My cover has been blown. Guy named Brad Stone, who works for the New York Times. Have you heard of him? Well, tip of the hat to you, Brad Stone. You did the sleuthing. You put the pieces of the puzzle together. You went through my trash, hacked into my computer, and put listening devices in my home. Now you've ruined the mystery of Fake Steve, robbing thousands of people around the world of their sense of childlike wonder.

After successful trials last year, programs are increasing their blogs' roles in the new season. CBS is setting up a MySpace page for Mother, with separate pages for the various characters to blog.

The Office's Dwight Schrute's blog on nbc.com has been read by over 1,000,000 different viewers since it launched last fall, with 2 million-3 million page views. Fulfilling NBC boss Jeff Zucker's "TV 360" mandate, the comedy is expanding its Web presence on MySpace, with blog entries from several characters.

And based on the popularity of its blogs, a book called Grey's Anatomy: Notes From the Nurse's Station and Overheard at the Emerald City Bar, compiling Debbie's and Joe's blog entries, hits stores Sept. 12. It's published by ABC corporate sibling Hyperion.

For many programs, the blogs fill a mandate from the network to increase their online offerings. Chris Van Dusen, assistant to Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes, says Rhimes challenged the staff to come up with compelling ways to promote the show online, and he suggested a blog for the bartender who pours drinks for off-duty doctors and nurses from Seattle Grace Hospital.

"The idea was to blog what happens in between the episodes," says Van Dusen, who writes the Emerald City Bar blog. "It's what [the characters] talk about when they come to the bar."

As school winds down for the summer, a new blog launched by WFP will keep kids active while giving them a chance to talk directly to aid workers battling on the frontline of some of the world's hunger hotspots.

Following the global success of WFP's educational video game "Food Force", designed to teach 8-13 year olds about hunger and humanitarian aid work, WFP has now created "Joe's blog", a web journal named after one of Food Force’s main characters.

My goal is to rule the fast food world with an iron fist. And raise a happy family. I was born on a cattle ranch in Colorado. I didn't have much except a love for burgers and pretty women. What else does your average red-blooded American need? Then I headed to sunny California. Why? Cuz I had this idea to let people order burgers from their cars...and, well, people in California love their cars. (Not to mention I have a thing for blondes.) So I opened up Jack in the Box. Met my wife Cricket. Got my sweet yellow hat and an even sweeter jet.

Two weeks ago after a long long day at work, I came home and ate 4 tacos, 2 jumbo jacks, onion rings and a diet soda. My all time record.

This is a new blog dedicated to all things energy. I am just getting started and this is my first post so be patient with me. My goal is to create a place where people interested in energy can go for information, news and fun. I plan to link to interesting tidbits about energy and help find answers to questions about how we can all save energy. For example, here is a link to something about saving energy in the Summer. This post may be a humble beginning but at least it gets my energy blog launched. There is more news coming later this week but I can't tell you about it now so stay tuned. If you have questions, please let me know. Otherwise, enjoy and keep coming back!

Oddly, Owen Corning chose the very unfreindly URL saveenergy.owenscorningblog.com for the blog when, it seems, the more appropriate thepinkpantherblog.com and pinkpantherblog.com appear to be readily available. The Pink One will take on the persona of Chief Energy Officer on the blog and spout snarky witticisms about how to save energy....by using Owen Corning products, of course.

Bernie's Blog -- ostensibly written by brand mascot Bernie the Rabbit, the blog features short articles and news notes on organic food, healthier living, and a healthier earth.

"Our cause marketing person Kathryn Keslosky writes it. She's a recent grad of Villanova and she's had a passion for environmental issues and political action since she was a student. I feel the blog world likes the activism and passion in it."

Key -- prior to starting the blog, the team met to carefully discuss what Bernie's attitude would be. Instead of writing negative or critical articles, the team decided Kathryn would focus on the positive. Example - links to articles on sustainable agriculture, instead of articles on how mainstream farming hurts the land.

But now networks are piling on the blogs even for scripted shows. Many are written in the voice of a character -- usually not the main figure but an especially popular or quirky sidekick. Executive producers for other shows drop the charade of writing in character and merely use their own names.

Together, they present a network's united blogging front for a show, rather than cede control to do-it-yourself, sometimes obsessive fan bloggers.

"Blogs are a great way to bring millions of viewers who enjoy our programming into the creative process," CBS Entertainment President Nancy Tellem said in announcing more than a half-dozen blogs on, or coming to, CBS.com.

With a disclosure that Alexander was indeed a fictional character, the blog launched last March. But the response was not what the women had hoped for.

Robert French, a communications instructor at Auburn University who blogs about marketing on a site called Blogthenticity, was the first to notice. Delicious Destinations, he wrote, was a prime example of so-called character blogging, something that has become increasingly popular on business blogs. "What value do you find in this tactic?" he asked his readers. "Is it authentic?" The blogosphere responded. Hugh MacLeod, who runs Gapingvoid, a highly regarded and often scathingly critical site for marketing professionals, decided that GourmetStation's new blog merited special recognition -- the Beyond Lame Award. Soon, GourmetStation was the talk of all the marketing blogs. "Horrible. Stupid. Insane. Worthless. Ineffective," wrote one person. "The ultimate in false advertising."

Lynes-Miller has no regrets. For one thing, traffic at her site almost doubled as a result of the controversy. Besides, blogging is just one part of the company's marketing plan. In May, for example, GourmetStation was touted on Good Morning America as a great place to shop for Mother's Day gifts, which helped send second-quarter sales up 158%.

Meanwhile, T. Alexander's culinary adventures continue uninterrupted. "I didn't expect the negative feedback we initially received," Lynes-Miller says. "Though there was no negative feedback from customers -- and that's the feedback I'm most concerned about."

Well, folks, first, take a breath, count to 10, sit down, and listen. The blogosphere is changing. You may not like it. You may not want it to happen. But, it is. Cry about it all you want. It is. And character blogs (fake, faux, lame, whatever term you wish to associate with it) are part of the new blogging landscape, and chances are, they will continue to be.

First find a party.. It doesn't matter if you’re not actually invited. Second, exude confidence. A "Do you know who I am" attitude has an uncanny way of getting you past bouncers, dress codes and hosts. Always works for me. Third, show up at the door and say you know "Scott." There's always a Scott at the party, you can count on that.