New media titans are declaring – and awestruck traditional media outlets are echoing the cry – that brands must now not simply pay publishers but also become publishers themselves.  One of said titans, John Battle of Federated Media, went so far in an Advertising Age column as to offer “All brands are publishers” as a Golden Rule for success in the new Age of Content (or conversational media, as his coinage would have it it). The marketing world seems to agree, as evidenced by major content initiatives such as General Electric’s  ecomagination and Intel’s iQ,  or conferences such as the International Content Marketing Summit, and Content Marketing World (please note: this author has no current association with any of the above).