Edelman, the giant global PR firm, has gone and hired Steve Rubel, whose Micro Persuasion is considered the number one advertising blog on the Web. This is a big endorsement for word-of-mouth marketing as a legitimate communications channel. This Ad Age piece (registration required) has more about the Rubel hire and also mentions that Weber Shandwick has hired Jeremy Pepper, author of the Pop! PR Jots blog, as group manager in its San Francisco office.