The Executive Blogger's Guide To
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OgilvyInsights Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide I Welcome to the I Searching and Blogosphere: The Monitoring Blogs End of Top-Down Talk I Launching Your Blog The Executive Blogger’s Guide to I What are Blogs? I Corporate Policies and I How Powerful Have Blogging Blogs Become? I Blog Backfires Building a Nest of Blogs, Wikis & RSS. I The Unique Characteristics I Moblogs & Vblogs of Blogs I Wikis I Business Blog Examples I Conclusion:Your Game Plan “People build brands as birds build nests, from scraps and I How To Use RSS Newsreaders straws we chance upon… People come to conclusions about brands as the result of an accountable number of different stimuli: many of which are way outside the control or even influence of the products owner.” — Jeremy Bullmore, former chairman JWT London, and director of WPP Welcome to the Blogosphere: leave you at the mercy of the stone be reckoned with in the corporate The End of Top-Down Talk throwers as well. and political spheres, many times Changes in online technology have acting as gatekeepers or even While the advent of the Web spawned taken what was already a revolution overturning the mainstream media millions of new communicators in communication and now morphed world, ending powerful careers or and content providers around the the internet into a real-time forum killing product lines. And yet, world, the Web page format still wherein for the first time, participants understanding and harnessing followed the old broadcast model are as powerful as traditional these new technologies can serve of one source beaming out to controllers of media and public as both an early warning system for many. Granted, chat groups relations messages. Blogs are what is being said about your com- allowed for more of a conversation, unmasking improprieties, ending pany, and as a way for your compa- but nothing compared to the noise careers, and damaging brands. ny to lead the conversation in a being generated via Weblogs Yet Blogs are also building and manner that positions it as a trust- (“Blogs”). The creation of Blogs strengthening brands. Understanding ed leader. and Wikis has enabled a very Blogs and their unique culture and different approach: the real-time voice is imperative; trying to What are Blogs? open forum. Blogs may have started exploit this new format without The term “Weblog” was coined in as online journals for computer that understanding will surely end 1997 by Jarn Barger whose site geeks or angst-ridden teens, but in a vitriolic stoning of your brand. “Robot Wisdom” was an effort to now they have become a force to But choosing to ignore Blogs will log various sites he encountered on { 1 } the Web. But an accumulation of its locks still deterred theft. The interesting links is only part of New York Times published the what a Blog has become. Dave story the next day. Then, according Winer, creator of an early Blog to blog monitoring company called “Scripting News” said: Technorati, nearly 2 million people “Weblogs are often-updated sites visited blogs to read more about it. that point to articles elsewhere on In the end, Kryptonite paid $10 the web, often with comments, and million in replacement locks—that’s to on-site articles. A weblog is kind out of $25 million in total revenues. of a continual tour, with a human guide whom you get to know. There are many guides to choose from and each develops an audience.” So blogs are a sort of frequently updated, online journal that mixes personal opinion and daily life with observations and links to other sources and allow for readers to contribute their own thoughts and reactions. Winer created software making it easy to create a Blog (Radio Userland). And others such as LiveJournal, Blogger.com and Xanga created Web-based blog- ging templates that allow anyone According to Technorati, 23,000 to start their own blog in minutes Clearly the tipping point has been blogs are created every day—that’s with no knowledge whatsoever of reached and the numbers of Blog one every 3 seconds—and the programming. The revolution was readers and creators will continue number is accelerating. While the underway. Today there are between accelerating. And just who are vast majority are diary-type blogs 10 million and 35 million blogs in these people? The Pew study only of interest to a few family the US and some countries, such reports that in the US they are: members or friends, some have as Korea, claim more than 10 million. I 57% male gained large audiences. When it comes to business, I 48% are younger than 30 According to the findings in the blogs are being used to hold a Pew Internet & American Life I 42% live in households earning conversation with customers, with Project (November 2004): more than $50,000 employees, and with media. They can serve as effective vehicles for I 27% of all internet users in the I 39% have college or graduate marketing, idea testing, knowledge US now read blogs degrees management, crisis communication, I that equals 32 million Blog readers So they are a well-educated and and thought leadership. affluent community. Yet Pew I that’s a 58% jump in just 9 reports in this latest survey, “there How Powerful Have Blogs months has been greater-than-average Become? I 7% or 8 million have created growth in blog readership among On September 12, 2004 someone their own Blog women, minorities, those between posted on a blog that a disposable the ages of 30 and 49.” Bic pen could open the supposedly I 12% or 14 million have posted impenetrable Kryptonite bicycle comments on a Blog locks. Word spread via blogs. I and that is while still 62% do not Kryptonite issued a statement that even know what a Blog is { 2 } Among the most popular blogs are http://scoble.weblogs.com those that look at politics, such as “Instapundit,” and those that chronicle life in a gossip column (“Wonkette”) or catalog the latest in gadgets and technology (“Gizmodo” and “BoingBoing”). But business blogs have amassed large audiences as well. Perhaps the most influential are those written by Microsoft’s Robert Scoble (“Scobleizer”) and Jonathan Schwartz (President of Sun Microsystems). Scoble was formerly with NEC and a blogger who never held back in his criticism of Microsoft. In a gutsy move, Microsoft hired him and not only allowed him to continue blogging, it does not appear to censor him. “Impressively, he has also succeeded Blog Attributes where small armies of more I conventional public-relations types personal, candid, informal, 4. I will preserve the original post, have been failing abjectly for transparent using notations to show where I have made changes so as to years: he has made Microsoft,” I frequently updated writes the Economist, “with its maintain the integrity of my I journal entries in reverse order history of monopolistic bullying, publishing. (most current on top) appear marginally but noticeably 5. I will never delete a post. less evil to the outside world, and I includes links to third parties 6. I will not delete comments especially to the independent software I includes reader comments unless they are spam or off-topic. developers that are his core audience. Bosses and PR people at other I includes “Trackback” function 7. I will reply to emails and companies are taking note.” showing who is linking to it comments when appropriate, I includes “Blogroll” of links to and do so promptly. The Unique Characteristics other Bloggers of Blogs 8. I will strive for high quality with Blogs are anti-establishment. They I offers RSS feed (more on this every post – including basic are personal, candid, irreverent, and later) spellchecking. informal. You will find a personal I includes archive of past entries 9. I will stay on topic. comment about last night’s restaurant 10. I will disagree with other right in the middle of a serious Sample Blogger Code Of Ethics opinions respectfully. analysis of software, a gossipy joke from Forrester’s Charlene Li: in the midst of an industry overview. 1. I will tell the truth. 11. I will link to online references Blogs are no place for so-called and original source materials brochure ware or the official line. 2. I will write deliberately and with directly. They are the insightful aside by accuracy. 12. I will disclose conflicts of interest. Shakespeare’s fool. The Blogger, 3. I will acknowledge and correct while acerbic, is also humble in that mistakes promptly. 13. I will keep private issues he or she is quick to give credit to and topics private, since the writing and thinking of others by discussing private issues way of embedded links. Here’s a would jeopardize my personal checklist of Blog attributes: and work relationships { 3 } Business Blog Examples http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/ While the earliest blogs may have been either tech or politics, they have taken root in many industries from autos to airplanes, from yogurt to appliances. Here’s a look at several examples. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz http://smallblock.gmblogs.com writes “FastLane” while GM also produces the micro interest “Small Block Engine” blog. { 4 } To illustrate the power of blogs, http://autoblog.com/ let’s look at Autoblog.com. While it is in a crowded field that includes stalwart print brands such as Motor Trend and Popular Mechanics and AutoWeek with their own Web sites, using BlogPulse’s trend tool we can see that Autoblog has nearly pulled even with the big players. { 5 } Boeing marketing chief Randy http://www.boeing.com/randy Baseler is connecting with media and customers via his blog at www.boeing.com/randy Stonyfield Farms catapulted itself http://www.stonyfield.com/weblog from a little town organic dairy products company to a global player through four blogs including one written by a farmer.