This article is by Guest Contributor Rick Spence.
In a recent “AIMS”:http://www.aimscanada.com/ Discussion List post (not yet online), “Tema Frank”:http://www.webmysteryshoppers.com/pages/070abou.html said (in part):
bq. Many commentators argue that companies should jump on the blogging bandwagon, but for most companies I think that is bad advice. Let’s face it, how many of us really have something interesting to say (and the skill to write it well) every couple of days? If you delegate the writing to a staff member, how can you be sure that they’ll only write about topics you want aired publicly? But if you restrict them, your blog quickly becomes a boring advertorial, which will either be ignored (best case scenario) or derided publicly.
I agree with most of Tema Frank’s comments about corporate blogging, but not with her conclusion.
Category: Blogs
In the past week, I’ve been struck by two very strong examples of how the blogosphere is reshaping business communications drastically.
In the first case, a previous silence was broken and so was the strength of the story that led as an example of a company who ignored the blogosphere at its own peril.
The second case demonstrates a company who is either unaware of the power of the voices within the blogosphere, or who knows the power and believes that threats can silence it nonetheless.
Case #1: Kryptonite – A Positive Example
Nearly a year ago, Engadget, a popular gadget blog revealed that “Kryptonite locks could be easily picked with a ballpoint pen”:http://www.engadget.com/entry/7796925370303347/. Although the company issued official press releases on the subject and offered to replace the tubular locks in question without cost to owners, their lack of interaction with the blogosphere made it appear as if Kryptonite didn’t respond at all. The result was that the Kryptonite story has been used as the ‘warning’ for companies not recognizing the importance of the blogosphere since that time. This is not likely the story Kryptonite wants to tell.
Suck.com was one of those defining online moments you need to understand. “Big Fish – The Story of Suck” makes for an amazing read…
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