Yahoo launches shopping blog

Consumer spending may have been off last month, but Yahoo is doing its best to pump up purchasing intentions. 

The Yahoo Shopping blog is intended to "interesting products, great deals, new site features, and user generated content," the company's p.r. people said in an e-mail.  Think of it as something like a commercial Engadget, with a broader focus.  While the posts are written in first person, it doesn’t appear the blog is open.  Comments are open for registered users, but suggestions for featured products need to be e-mailed.

Yahoo's effort is a transparent promotion, of course, for merchants and advertisers who sell things on the site.  Because of Yahoo's huge audience, and folksy, conversational style, the blog could help move a lot of product for Shopping.Yahoo.com clients.  To some extent, it's in competition with other shopping sites like Glam.com, Daily Candy, and Omiru.

Yesterday's Startup Journal had a great story about a network of 14 consumer-product oriented blogs.   Blogpire Productions publishes Web logs about single-serve coffee, shaving products, and poker accessories.  Inspiring story for an entrepreneur.

Disclaimer: I own shares of Yahoo.