Here is a recap of the 2010 Digital Dialogue column covering digital communication advice as published in the PR Tactics journal from the Public Relations Society of America. Enjoy the Holidays, and here’s wishing a prosperous 2011 to everyone!

Welcome to the DARC Side: creating compelling web content (Jan 2010) – HubSpot co-founders and “Inbound Marketing” co-authors Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah help identify digital communicators’ ideal traits.

Getting ahead of the class, social media style (Feb 2010) – How PR students channel social networking know-how into marketable career potential. Cites Butler University’s Evan Strange and Ferris State University’s Mikinize Stuart as best-practice examples.

What profile mining means for you (March 2010) – A look at online research and ge0-location tools with insight from strategy consultants and bloggers Valeria Maltoni and Jay Baer.

Building an online community with PRStudChat (April 2010) – How Mango! Marketing’s Deirdre Breakenridge and Valerie Simon of BurrellesLuce created the PRStudChat online community for PR students, educators and professionals.

Online newsrooms in the digital era (May 2010) – A discussion with The News Group Net’s David Henderson about the real audience for online newsrooms and how to make them valuable destinations people will actually return to.

Livestreaming removes broadcast boundaries, expands PR potential (June 2010) – Suggestions for outfitting your team to make the most of video technologies from Ustream, Skype and others. Quotes Jeramie McPeek of the Phoenix Suns.

Blogs and the art of thought leadership (July 2010) – Why blogging is an essential business communication tool with insight from Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 and the Content Marketing Institute, and Amanda Miller Littlejohn of Mopwater PR.

Crowdsourcing for innovation (Aug 2010) – A look at crowdsourcing’s business value with quotes from PepsiCo’s Shiv Singh and Go Daddy’s Marianne Curran.

Tumbling and posturing through the statusphere (Sept 2010) – An examination of short-form blogging with free tools such as Tumblr and Posterous. Quotes Steve Rubel of Edelman Digital.

Brand journalism creates another viable news outlet (Oct 2010) – How corporations are publishing valuable information free of sales and marketing jargon in an effort to educate, assist and engage their customers.

Influencing the news cycle in real time (Nov 2010) – An interview with David Meerman Scott, author of “Real-Time Marketing and PR: How to Engage Your Market, Connect with Customers, and Create Products that Grow Your Business.”

Where PR pros are heading with the social Web (Dec 2010) – Suggestions for digital communicators as we head into 2011 with inspiration from Diane Sawyer and advice from Abbie Fink of HMA Public Relations and Christine Perkett of PerkettPR.

One more time around for this August PRSA Tactics article about thought leadership and the common characteristics of people who successfully portray it on the social Web, and elsewhere. I received some nice comments and additional ideas from readers on this article which is located here on the Public Relations Society of America Web site. My thanks to everyone who contributed. Have a look and share your thoughts as well.

A common thread among the comments is the notion that true thought leaders are not chest-thumping know-it-alls who lift themselves up while being condescending to others. We’ve all experienced some of these. The point is that creating community and content that others value while potentially aiding your own purposes (such as attracting attention to your brand, product or service) requires simple etiquette and some personality. Thought leadership – or whatever you might like to call it – is hard to achieve if your head is in the clouds.

A variation of thought leadership I didn’t include in the article regards “positive controversy,” or offering a contrarian view of a popular topic or issue. Sometimes assuming a little risk to voice an unexpected or less supported opinion can draw more attention to you or your cause and help key messages spread. Going this route incessantly would get old and turn many people away, but used tactfully it has merit.