Category Archives: Weblog as Power Tool

Explaining blogs – lighting candles in the wind

I experience a slight feeling of loss whenever I learn that someone has invested in a publicity-oriented web site and has not considered a weblog format.

When I ask if they might consider a weblog format, I get a politely embarrassed response as though I have suggested they put their site on LiveJournal or host banner ads for porn sites.

I stifle a sigh and find myself going into my elevator pitch on the power of blogs to generate to generate real interest among the exact group of people you are trying to reach.

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Citizen publishing – get your mind around this concept

I have a suggestion for those of you who have despaired of explaining blogging to friends and business associates who are just now beginning to hear about weblogs on TV or in the papers.

Try explaining blogs as a form of citizen publishing and see what their responses are. I think you will find a sudden dawning of comprehension. They might even startle you with the questions they ask once the concept sinks in.

Weblogs come in many flavors: journals, essays, emotional diatribes, collections of links, photos, essays, etc., but each can be described as a form of citizen publishing. I first saw this term being used on BlogsCanada. It immediately struck me that this concept opens the door to a better understanding of the power and the potential of blogging than any other term in use.

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PR challenge – how to target blogs?

This is the challenge that blogs present to a PR professional:
Nuancing is mercilessly exposed. Failure to respond appropriately to comments is glaringly obvious. On the other hand, integrity and clarity of thought have no better showcase than a blog.

When customers write about failures to deliver on a brand promise and that comment becomes a current topic of internet gossip, corporate PR departments are fit to be tied. They correctly recognize that blogs and RSS are a threat to brand management.

Here is an excerpt from that link: Because of their instantaneous and global publishing capabilities, blogs and RSS feeds (effectively customer brand touch points) can quickly catch brand managers and their strategies entirely off guard (making their current often static online website collateral seem non-responsive and old in comparison to the new global conversations now starting to take place.

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Balancing Micro-Business and personal blogs

Bloggers can generate mixed messages when they have several blogs that are cross-linked but not harmoniously related. I feel this can alienate their blogging public(s) and may lessen their chances of doing business.

On the other hand, those bloggers whose personal and business lives are happily integrated seem to develop multiple blogs that work well together. When this occurs, the users benefit from a richer experience.

If your business persona is vastly different from your private blogging persona, you are going to may create a negative impression in your business audience  by tightly linking the two. Even if you attempt to conceal your private blog by writing anonymously, it will eventually be discovered.

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