Blogging, or "web logging," has received a lot of attention in the past few years. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, "blog" was the Word of the Year in 2004.1 Blogging originated from online diaries, in which people described their lives and opinions by posting short segments on a website of their creation. This became the interactive format known as blogging today, a medium in which readers are able to respond to the posts made by a particular blogger. A blogging website shows the latest blog first, popular bloggers updating daily for the fans of their respective blogs. In light of major events such as the Iraq War, news blogs have become increasingly popular, these blogs serving as either a venue for news or for opinion on current events. Blogging has allowed the "everyman" an outlet for expressing his or her ideas and experiences, from the escapades of food critics to the lives of soldiers serving in Iraq.
Blogging`s emergence in the business world was inevitable. In 2005, Forbes Magazine stated that bloggers have "become a force business can`t afford to ignore."2 In the article, several bloggers of note were mentioned. These included Peter Rojas, founder of Engadget, a blog dedicated to daily coverage of gadgets and popular electronics; Ben and Mena Trott, bloggers and co-founders of Six Apart, an international software company with several personal-, business-, and product-based blogs; and Jonathan I. Schwartz of Sun Microsystems, whose own blog involves his experiences and thoughts as President and CEO of the company. The merits of using blogging as a means to promote a company or to help with the foundation of a company had become high indeed.
The immediate draw of blogging for businesses is, of course, advertising. There are millions of blogs on the web and millions of readers who visit those blogs. As of December 2007, there were reportedly 112 million blogs online.3 Blogs are by nature well-suited for advertisement - the people frequenting a blog about chair manufacturing are going to be the very audience a business that specializes in chair manufacturing will want to reach out to. Businesses may compete to advertise on the more popular blogs, because the higher a blog`s readership the more potential customers for a business` product or services. Most businesses use blogging as a resource for advertising, always looking for a way to stay one step ahead of the competitor. Blogging is also a great resource for customer service. It allows an affordable, interactive format which can showcase a business`s products or services while allowing for almost instant customer feedback. This allows businesses to retain a good feel for their customers and to deal with problems that may occur with a given product or service as quickly as possible. Blogging is especially helpful with small businesses, which may not always have the time, money or resources to maintain a Public Relations division.
But, like most things, there is a dark side to blogging. Bloggers have ostracized more than one business, sometimes without just cause. Most bloggers are indeed the everyman, and speak to the public about things which they may not always be as knowledgeable on as they claim. Personal vendettas are not uncommon, and litigation involving blogging has indeed grown rapidly in the past few years. Once tainted, it is hard for a business to overcome the seed of doubt placed in the public`s mind. Thousands, even millions of readers can be exposed to the ideas and opinions reflected in a person`s blog, and that kind of power is hard for any business to overcome when turned against them.
In 2004, bloggers picked up a story from a forum involving a fault in the design of a lock from Kryptonite Locks. Kryptonite responded immediately, recognizing the problem, fixing the faulty design, and instituting a mass exchange program.4 But that`s not how some bloggers decided to spin the story. Many Bloggers claimed that Kryptonite Locks had responded weeks later in a clumsy fashion and only after The New York Times broke the story in the mass media. Kryptonite Locks was thrown into a Public Relations nightmare, though they certainly managed to recover. Many bloggers have since overstated their impact on the company. But in spite of such extremities, there was damage done, and this remains the most well-known incident, in no small thanks to those bloggers. Donna Tocci, the Public Relations Manager for Kryptonite, said in an interview that "companies absolutely need to keep track of the blogosphere."4
The world of blogging certainly has its perils. But if a company can learn to manage a blog successfully, the benefits are great indeed. Getting started is easy: there are hundreds of websites dedicated to helping create blogs. Monitoring popular blogs which discuss matters related to your business is paramount. Advertising on other blogs is quite the bonus as well, allowing companies to further the reach across their potential market. Blogging, like the internet, is here to stay, and prudent businesses will find a way to make blogging an asset to their respective trades.
Sources:
1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. http://www.m-w.com/info/06words_prev.htm.
2. Kirkpatrick, David, and Daniel Roth. "Why There`s No Escaping the Blog." Fortune 10
Jan 2005: 44-50.
3. Technorati. http://technorati.com/about/.
4. Taylor, Dave. "Debunking the Myth of Kryptonite Locks and the Blogosphere." The
Business Blog at Intuitive.com 13 Dec 2005.
http://www.intuitive.com/blog/debunking_the_myth_of_kryptonite_locks_and_the_blogosphere.html
Links to Blogs:
http://www.engadget.com/ (Peter Rojas)
http://www.sixapart.com/ (Ben and Mena Trott)
http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/ (Jonathan I. Schwartz)
Don`t forget to download Indocquent`s free social bookmark utility for your website or blog at http://www.indocquent.com/social_bookmark/social_bookmark_landingpage.html.
Published By: Indocquent.com- An online resource where you can promote your business, products and services around the world.
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