March 28, 2006
10 Different Tips for Blogging
Scout Blogging, a service of Backbone Media, lists 10 Tips for Becoming a Great Corporate Blogger. We've all seen the standard lists for good blogging - this one offers some unique ideas. A few of them include:
- Conduct interviews to generate content and ideas
- Report on community opinion
- Monitor the web for brand names and references
- Create value
First saw this at Blogging for Business.
Posted by kpoor at 09:28 AM | Comments (2)
February 13, 2006
Public Transparency
I've just finished reading Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel and am left with a thought regarding one of the book's major themes - transparency. PR professionals are often accused (several places in the book) of getting in the way of transparency by spinning the truth or too tightly controlling corporate messaging. And while I agree that this is sometimes the case, I think that on a day-to-day basis PR is about helping companies become more transparent rather than less.
We are constantly trying to help companies communicate more effectively and fluidly with key audiences because, in many ways, it does not come naturally to them. We help and encourage them to communicate more transparently with customers, employees and investors. And while many view blogs as a way to reduce or eliminate the need for PR, there is a large role for communication professionals to play in consulting and educating companies on how best to incorporate blogging, wikis, podcasts and other mediums into their communications mix.
Posted by kpoor at 04:36 PM | Comments (1)
January 30, 2006
Monitoring Blog Chatter
We've recently seen an increase in the number of clients inquiring about monitoring the blogosphere. This tells me that blogs are really starting to appear on corporate communication radars. I say this because several of the inquires have been from companies that I would consider slow adopters of online technology.
Through a post on the son-of-a-pitch blog, I found an article at B-to-B.com that provides a good list of tools and sites for monitoring blog chatter. While this is a long list, as the article points out, a mix of tools is the best way to try and track as many conversations as possbille
* Google Blog Search
* Feedster
* Podscope
* Icerocket
* Pubsub
* Talk Digger
* Opinmind
* Topix.net
* IBM's Public Image Monitoring Solution
* Intelliseek's Brandpulse
* Biz360
* Cymfony's Orchestra
* BuzzMetrics
Posted by kpoor at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2006
The Corporate Blogger
DestinationCRM.com has a good article on blogging as a marketing medium that includes a graphic below showing the anatomy of a corporate blogger.
Posted by kpoor at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2005
Fact: Journalist Completely Misses the Train
I'm glad most journalists do not think like Dick Feagler of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This recent column shows that he has completely missed the cluetrain.
Posted by kpoor at 11:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 09, 2005
Public Relations Leading the Way in the Blogosphere
I recently participated in a Webinar hosted by Intelliseek called "Blogs 2005: Year in Review". Overall the presentation did a nice job of looking back at the continued growth of the blogs and other new media such as podcasts, video blogs and moblogging.
One point that suprised me a bit was that Pete Blackshaw, the host of the program, said that PR firms had generally been on of the leaders in adoption of and use of blogs as a communications tool. He highlighted folks such as B.L. Ochman, Rick Edelman and Steve Rubel among others that are effectively using and consulting clients on how to effectively use blogs as a communications tool.
The reason this point stuck with me is that PR professionals have traditionally be slow adopters of integrating internet technologies into their areas of expertise. It was a nice change of pace to hear that PR is leading the way at adjusting communication models to reflect new technology instead of missing the boat. I hope this is a trend that continues as technology provides new and creative ways to communicate.
Posted by kpoor at 09:10 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 07, 2005
Another Dix & Eaton Blog Hits the Airwaves
Beat Riders - a collective blog penned by our media relations practice is now live. The first entry is a good one. Enjoy.
Posted by kpoor at 03:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 29, 2005
Harvard Business Review On Corporate Blogging
The HBR has written a piece entitled Does Your Company Belong in the Blogosphere?. The article states that companies that are currently blogging understand that blogs are an inexpensive way to:
* Influence the public "conversation" about your company: Make it easy for journalists to find the latest, most accurate information about new products or ventures. In the case of a crisis, a blog allows you to shape the conversation about it.
* Enhance brand visibility and credibility: Appear higher in search engine rankings, establish expertise in industry or subject area, and personalize one's company by giving it a human voice.
* Achieve customer intimacy: Speak directly to consumers and have them come right back with suggestions or complaints—or kudos.
The article goes on to provide advice from experts on how companies can realize the full potential of blogs as a communications medium.
While much of what is written has been noted repeatedly in the blogosphere, I'm sure HBR will add credibility to the argument for corporate blogging.
Posted by kpoor at 08:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 15, 2005
New Dix & Eaton Blogger
Peter Jensen, the manager of our research department, has started a blog that provides a daily review of market action and discusses useful research tools and applications.
Peter writes short, insightful entries describing what has driven the market on a daily basis.
Posted by kpoor at 11:43 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 28, 2005
Weblog design mistakes
Jakob Nielson has posted "Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes". Valuable for anyone currently or soon to be blogging. I currently violate two of the ten (4 & 7).
I will start to work on #4 by saying I first saw this list on BlogWrite for CEOs, as opposed to I saw it here.
Posted by kpoor at 11:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 27, 2005
Edelman / Intelliseek Trust "MEdia" white paper
I recently read the Trust "MEdia" white paper from Edelman and Intelliseek. While the entire report is worth reading, one statistic that came out of Edelman's 2005 Trust Survey struck me as a real trend shifter. According to the report:
"Peoples' trust has shifted from authority figures to 'average people like you.' In fact 56% of Americans trust only the opinions of physicians and academicians more than they trust the opinions of people like themselves."
Given the personal nature of blogs, is it any wonder they are becoming such a trusted source of information? This statistics also tells me that companies that continue to employ a top-down, command and control style of corporate communications will eventually lose touch with key audiences such as consumers, investors and employees.
This trend is why Robert Scoble is the face of Microsoft to many people. While blogs won't replace traditional corporate communication tactics, companies need to figure how to integrate them into the mix as audiences will continue to look for this trusted channel to form their overall opinion of a company.
As the old saying goes "If you don't tell your story, someone else will" and these days people want to hear that story from people like themselves, aka - employee bloggers.
Posted by kpoor at 10:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 28, 2005
H&K Emergency Response / Crisis Blog
Hill & Knowlton provides a great case study on how blogs can be used in a time of crisis. Niall Cook’s account of the blog Hill & Knowlton’s London office created during the terrorists attacks points out how quickly and effectively a blog can be launched and used in a time of crisis.
First saw this post here.
Posted by kpoor at 08:47 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 14, 2005
Basic rules for corporate blogging
We've all seen versions of these rules before, but for companies thinking about blogging, I think the basic rules fro success set forth by Axe Senior Brand Development Manager David Rubin at a recent ad:tech panel provide excellent guidelines:
* they need to be authentic
* speak in a non-corporate voice
* be published regularly and
* be able to accept negative comments on the brand
These rules for a successful blog can also be seen as a litmus test as a company considers blogging. If you are not ready to commit to the rules, you may not want to start blogging.
First saw this on Adrants.
Posted by kpoor at 08:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 29, 2005
The Fear of Blogging
The Blog Business Summit has a good post about the fear of blogging. Offered are a few tips on how companies can "blog without blogging".
These steps describe how companies that are fearful of letting employees blog, can start to get a grasp on the blogosphere as it relates to their company and industry. Once companies get into steps one and two - step three will hopefully follow.
As for step one - all companies should be doing this.
Posted by kpoor at 02:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 22, 2005
Jonathan Schwartz: Blogging A Must
In a recent interview at the Supernova 2005 Conference, Sun COO Jonathan Schwartz stated that "If you want to be a leader, I can't see surviving without a blog."
While I think this statement is a bit dramatic, I do agree with his point that blogs and instant publishing allow companies to easily engage with a broad marketplace in an authentic manner.
Posted by kpoor at 08:27 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 20, 2005
Blog Q&A
Easy Bake Weblogs has 46 questions and answers that can get anyone up to speed on blogs.
First saw this post on the Diva's blog.
Posted by kpoor at 05:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Blogs Practice?
I found my way to an older post on POP! Public Relations, making a case against PR firms starting practices around new technologies such as blogs, rss, podcasts etc. It's an interesting take given the number of firms that are touting these types of practices (Ketchum, Hass MS&L, MWW to name a few)
Posted by kpoor at 04:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 14, 2005
EFF Legal Guide for Blogs
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has posted a nice, comprehensive overview of legal guidelines for blogging. While they state that the guidelines are no replacement for legal advice, they are thorough and cover information such as legal liabilities, intellectual property, online defamation, section 230 protections, privacy, reporter's privileges and more.
For people interested in the legal aspect of blogging, this is an excellent resource.
Posted by kpoor at 01:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 10, 2005
Customers Comment on MS Blogs
CorporateBloggingBlog is blogging (say that 5 times fast) from the Reboot7 conference in Copenhagen. A recent entry highlighted a presentation from Robert Scoble that included some feedback from Microsoft customers on Microsoft's employee blogs. What company would not like this type of feedback?
1) "I love how you're using blogs to explain your decisions even if I don't agree with them."
2) "The employee blogs are the most innovative thing out of MS in years."
3) I've connected with several people at Microsoft through their blogs and it has made a real difference in the work I do."
4) Blogs tell me the truths I can't get from press releases."
This feedback gets to heart of how companies can use blogs to be more transparent (comments 1 and 4) and strengthen relationships with customers (comment 3).
Posted by kpoor at 08:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 09, 2005
Why Do Executives Blog?
An interesting interview on how and why GM's Fastlane blog was created.
Posted by kpoor at 01:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 06, 2005
Policy Comparisons
Fredrik Wackå at CorporateBloggingBlog has posted a very thorough and interesting comparison of corporate blogging policies. The companies included are IBM, Yahoo! (pdf), Hill & Knowlton, Plaxo, Thomas Nelson, Feedster, Groove and Sun.
His comparison divides policy subject matter into three catagories:
* The Core; covered by all companies
* The Common; covered by approximately half of them
* The Unusual; things only one or two companies mention.
Posted by kpoor at 04:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Blogs About Transparency More Than PR
A good Associated Press article in the Boston Globe recently reiterates a few points that I think can get lost in all the hype about blogs. Corporate blogs are first and fore most about transparency not PR. A few highlights from the article:
Done well, corporate blogs can create good word-of-mouth among consumers who aren't reading business pages or thumbing through trade magazines.
But bad blogging can easily backfire.
''Don't go toward fake blogs. Don't launch character blogs. Use a blog for what it's for, transparency," said Steve Rubel, vice president at CooperKatz & Co., a New York PR firm.
He and other PR professionals can rattle off blogs gone wrong -- usually ''fake blogs" that stir up the ire of bloggers by hiding the fact that they are really ad campaigns, such as one McDonald's posted in advance of a Super Bowl campaign about a Lincoln-shaped french fry.
Blogs that smack of press releases won't do the job, Rubel said. He tells clients to see what's out there about their company or industry, then decide whether they want to engage bloggers or even start their own blogs.
First came across this story on the Via Interactive blog.
Posted by kpoor at 01:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 02, 2005
Yahoo's Blogging Guidelines
Yahoo has posted is guidelines for corporate blogging(PDF). One difference from other guidelines I've seen is that they provide PR information in case bloggers are contacted by the media. This is very good foresight.
For companies wanting guideline examples, this is a good place to start. Found this link on Steve Rubel's blog.
Posted by kpoor at 04:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 01, 2005
Yoda Rules for Blogging
I thought Tris Hussey had an entertaining take on Yoda's rules of blogging:
* Blog you must for your business.
* Truth, passion, authenticity a blogger must have
* Comment and trackback spam paths to the Darkside are
* Prideful blogging, a dangerous thing it is. A way to the Darkside it is
* The Blog-i Masters train you in the way of the Blog, they can
* Blog-i Masters guardians of the Blogosphere they are
* May the Blog be with you
Thanks to CorporateBloggingBlog, where I first found this post.
Posted by kpoor at 08:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 26, 2005
Tips On Productive Blogging
For those wondering how they might find the time to blog or how they could better manage a current blog, D. Keith Robinson has a great post listing 13 tips on more productive blogging. I particularly like the "keep an idea list with backpack" tip as it turned me on to a great organziational tool.
Posted by kpoor at 04:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 25, 2005
Panera Not Behind Fake Panera Blog
It has come to my attention that Panera was not behind the blog that was temporarily online today. It was actually an advertising firm that was trying to win some business from Panera.
Here's how the events unfolded:
1) A co-worker of mine forwarded the Adrants
post to a colleague of his is St. Louis that works with Panera
2) The colleague quickly found the source of the blog to be an ad firm that had been trying to win some business with Panera
3) Panera ordered that the site be taken down immediately.
Besides the agency's blatant misunderstanding of how to use blogs as a marketing tool, they managed to provide a potential client with some negative exposure on some very popular and respected blogs:
Posted by kpoor at 04:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Fake Panera Blog Gone
It appears the ability of bloggers to spot a fake has caused the Panera blog issue (see previous post) to play itself out rather quickly. The blog is gone.
Posted by kpoor at 01:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Fake Blog?
There is a bit of buzz in the blogosphere about a fake Panera blog. I first saw this on Adrants. While the blog claims to be written by a fan of the Panera chain, the writing and initial comments seem very forced. It feels as if this is a blog being sponsored by Panera. If so, they should just add blogging to the coporate Web site and be open about it. This is an example of blog marketing that might completely backfire because the company broke two of the cardinal rules of blogging - speak with a true voice and be honest.
Some of the later comments to the initial post show that bloggers are not buying the authenticity of this blog. I look forward to seeing how this one plays out.
Posted by kpoor at 07:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 23, 2005
Interesting research from Germany
A recent study out of Germany shows some interesting opinions on Web logs among internet users:
1. 91% of the blog readers expect a fast and appropriate reaction to questions and comments in enterprise blogs.
2. 90% think it's important to make a clear difference between commercial and non-commercial content.
3. Of the blog readers, 54% form their opinions about products/companies on the basis of blogs.
4. 51% of the blog readers visit product and/or corporate sites as a results of reading blogs.
5. 58% of the blog readers, read them to find news and information they can't find otherwise.
6. 57% of them are interested in the personal opinions of the authors, but only 43% are interested in the discussions.
These numbers build a compelling case for corporate blogging - #3 and #4 alone should make companies think about incorporating blogs into their communications mix.
Thanks to Diva Marketing, which is where I discovered this information.
Posted by kpoor at 04:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 19, 2005
Corporate Weblog Manifesto
Robert Scoble wrote this corporate weblog manifesto back in early 2003 and it still represents a great starting point to understand the basics of what makes a good corporate blog.
Posted by kpoor at 03:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 16, 2005
Corporate Blogging Guidelines - IBM
The SiliconValleyWatcher reports that IBM is encouraging any of its 320,000 + employees worldwide to become company evangelists by writing blogs. With so many potential bloggers, IBM has created some guidelines. A summary of these guidelines provides a great reference for companies trying to decide what a corporate blog policy should look like.
IBM's Blogging Guidelines:
1. Know and follow IBM's Business Conduct Guidelines.
2. Blogs, wikis and other forms of online discourse are individual interactions, not corporate communications. IBMers are personally responsible for their posts. Be mindful that what you write will be public for a long time -- protect your privacy.
3. Identify yourself -- name and, when relevant, role at IBM -- when you blog about IBM or IBM-related matters. And write in the first person. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM.
4. If you publish a blog or post to a blog and it has something to do with work you do or subjects associated with IBM, use a disclaimer such as this: "The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions."
5. Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.
6. Don't provide IBM's or another's confidential or other proprietary information.
7. Don't cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval.
8. Respect your audience. Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc., and show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory -- such as politics and religion.
9. Find out who else is blogging on the topic, and cite them.
10. Don't pick fights, be the first to correct your own mistakes, and don't alter previous posts without indicating that you have done so.
11. Try to add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective.
A detailed discussion on these guidelines can be found on IBM employee James Snell's blog.
Posted by kpoor at 07:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 13, 2005
$695 For A Study on Business Blogging?
eMarketer just came out with a study on business blogging that can be yours for $695. I would recommend that individuals or organizations that want to learn more on the subject of business blogging simply use the vast number or resources that are available for no more than the cost of your time. A great starting point is The New PR/Wiki, which I mentioned in an earlier post.
As I enter this post I see that Shel Holtz is also a bit amazed at the cost of this study considering the amount of information that is available at our fingertips.
Posted by kpoor at 10:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 12, 2005
The New PR/Wiki
The NewPR/Wiki site has become one of my favorite online destinations. If you are wanting to learn more about corporate blogging this site is a must visit. It includes:
- Case studies
- Resources on business blogging and rss
- Lists of corporate and CEO blogs
- Blogging policies
And much, much more.
Posted by kpoor at 09:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 11, 2005
Why Corporate Blogging Works
Through a PubSub query on corporate blogging, I came across this entry on Hugh Macleod's blog Gapingvoid. This simple description of why corporate blogs work is right on point. Consistency of messaging, both internally and externally, is one of the key factors in Dix & Eaton's Communciation ECOsystem, which is our approach to corporate communications.
The explanation provided on Gapingvoid shows how corporate blogs can be a powerful tool in keeping internal and external conversations aligned, which helps drive the attitudes and behaviors of key audiences.
Posted by kpoor at 08:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 10, 2005
Goodblog Summary
Via Micro Persuasion, I found an excellent summary on last weeks BDI conference on corporate blogging. It can be found at Goodblog and was written by John Greenberg of Goodmind.
Posted by kpoor at 09:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 09, 2005
Great Blog Resource
For anyone wanting to quickly get up to speed on the world of corporate blogging, Debbie Weil recently included a link on BlogWrite for CEOs to Robert's Echo Blog, which provides blog statistics, definitions, a link to a Forrester Research executive summary, lists of internal and external corporate blogs, recommended PR blogs and more. An excellent starting point and resource for anyone looking to learn more about the growing influence of blogs.
Posted by kpoor at 08:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 06, 2005
Evolution of the Web
While attending the Business Development Institute's "Blogging Goes Mainstream" (click for Webcast) conference this past Tuesday, I was struck by a point made by Salim Ismail, the co-founder of PubSub Concepts, Inc. He mentioned that he thought the internet is evolving from a request and response model to a publish and subscribe model - where users are actually watching the Web more then they are searching it.
As an avid user of bloglines - my information retrieval on the Web now revolves mostly around RSS feeds and blogs. Having recently started using PubSub to keep track of client mentions, I could not have agreed more with this assesment of where the Web is moving.
Posted by kpoor at 02:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
