Corporate Blogging

BY: AJIT SINGH

ENGLISH TRAINER
Presentation Overview

Blog facts Content creation and management

Overall blog stats
Marketing and branding, in-house
Blogging applications
and to the public
Blog features
Tracking blogs at large
Blogs as knowledge management
tools
Corporate blogging stats
Why blog Adjunct to portals, websites, intranets
What to blog about Examples of focused, topical blogs
Got Content!
More reasons you should blog
Blogging Essentials – benefits, people, time,
cost Tech companies lead the way in
Elements/components of good blogs corporate blogging
News and resources on corporate
blogging

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Facts about blogs

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Parts of a blog – consider which elements to use

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How many blogs are there? Millions and millions….

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But how many are updated regularly?

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“A mere 2% of Adult Internet users maintain Web diaries or Web blogs…Content
omnivores are among the heaviest overall users of the Internet.”

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Blog Software – An overview of some options

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Tracking Blogs

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Stats on Corporate Bloggers:
http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000390.html, October 17, 2004

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Why Blog?
Inexpensive, non-techie,
easy/quick to launch
Capture, annotate information
Indicate document relevancy, provide
taxonomy, create info relationships
Make info visible that would otherwise
be overlooked
Document management tool, from
micro to macro (personal,
departmental, organizational)
Excellent adjunct/alternative to
email overload
Leverage your research and ability to
disseminate it
Create and promote key
relationships within and across
departments, groups and services
Expand services to those across
your organization
Increase productivity and info
exchange through better time
management and resource allocation
Seamless access via internal network
Read the website, receive RSS feeds or
updates through email
Promote internal marketing for
individual, group/dept. and/team
initiatives, projects (long and short
term)
Content is searchable, browsable,
archived and users can comment
Alternative to vast, impenetrable file folders of
emails
valuable database is created and expanded
continuously
Inexpensive, practical KM system that does
not require lots of $
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Blogging Essentials – benefits, people, time, cost
Is a blog the app you should choose
Who are you trying to serve, and why
Needs assessment
Have a specific goal, review progress and
assess value
Who is responsible for
maintenance/updating
Blogs can be “back-office” or front and
center
Determine scope…or niche
Establishing and populating the blog(s)
with content
review resource options with key members of
departments, practice groups or areas whom
you wish to serve.
Obtain stakeholder buy-in
Demo the service, request
suggestions, comments and input
Respond quickly by adapting the blog
to incorporate additional data
narrow or expand content and
specifications
Is one blog sufficient, or do you need
multiple blogs?
Address usability, functionality, value
for time spent
Stay on message…focus, focus, focus
– readers have limited time
Verify, vet, validate content
choose your source materials very
carefully
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Blogs – can they replace an intranet?

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From Dave Pollard's How to Save the World – The Knowledge Process,
http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/

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What to Blog About? Share the Knowledge

new or ongoing projects – close the loop

new services, or current ones that require better promotion/info dissemination
KM initiatives
Evaluation, design, implementation, roll-out, testing
Tasks – group/departmental
Organizational tool, management tool
● Password database, subscription database, calendar of events
training
presentations
topical/subject specific research
practice development
clients
virtual reference, electronic services, cataloging
from topics specific or broad, it is up to you!

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What Does Blogging Involve – Got Content!
Assignment: monitor, track, locate (through all avenues
available…fee and free)… find needle in haystack and
make it look easy!
validate, verify, analyze
review, edit, append info as req’d (PDF, Word docs,
Excel, graphics, audio, video)
seek feedback, comments, contributions
publish, disseminate, update (the updating part is the
real kicker)…commitment is key!
don’t start what you can’t continue – Feed the Blog!
time management is essential

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Example of a blog used for development, collaboration, testing

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Blogs facilitate organization of, and access to, relevant data by topics

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Example of a very focused topical blog: GM Smallblock Engine Blog

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Example of a topical blog with broader focus but still subject oriented – stays on message.

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More Reasons Why You Should Blog

Identify and target your users Branding/marketing vehicle for your library –
good PR
Provide channels of information

Choice/selection in data stream Offers tangible, ongoing documentation of work

product
From the general to the granular, your readers can choose if
you offer them a range of content Justify resources, staffing, additional services
Supplementing info/data/resources from websites, e- Where is that report, news article, survey,
newsletters, paid subscription services, online databases
training manual?
Aggregate your current publishing formats
Promote, maximize internal collaboration, knowledge
Intranet base management of resources, tasks and projects
Portal Real time publishing
Websites
Direct, no intermediary req’d
Handouts/brochures
You are the expert
Power Points
Blogging will focus and expand upon your skills
Emails

Newsletters Level the playing field…minimize barriers and

increase visibility, communications, integration of
resources

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Think about products and services – informing and supporting
users

A Product Blog
"By announcing a new product on a
blog you are creating an invitation to a
discussion about your product. On-line
press releases don't allow readers to
post comments to provide feedback or
to ask questions. As more and more
blog readers use newsreaders, people
are very apt to grab an RSS feed for a
blog they find interesting. That creates
an opportunity for the blog to continue
the discussion that starts with a new
product announcement. “
http://contentcentricblog.typepad.com/

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Consider the options, value and flexibility offered by RSS
Feeds
News feeds help you “get the
word out” about updates to your
blog
In-house or to the public
Offer your readers/community an
alternative to email only, or as a
supplement to it for those who “opt-
in”

Review websites you use that

offer feeds
To locate feeds, look for the
orange icon or button that says
RSS, XML, Syndicate or Atom.

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www.bespacific.com
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Microsoft has over 800 employees blogging…take a look

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Bloggers from Sun Microsystems

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CEO’s Who Blog

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News and Resources About Corporate Blogging
Blogging for Business – “With readers flocking to their Web postings, execs are finding blogs useful
for plugging not just their products but their points of view.” Business Week, August 9, 2004
http://tinyurl.com/4mukc
Blogging With The Boss's Blessing – “More companies are helping employees to speak freely --
and bond with customers.” Business Week, June 28, 2004
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_26/b3889107.htm
Blogging behind the firewall – “InfoWorld’s internal Weblog started as an experiment. Already, it’s
indispensable.” InfoWorld, May 24, 2004
http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/05/21/21OPconnection_1.html
The Corporate Blog is Catching On, New York Times, June 23, 2003 http://tinyurl.com/f10d
Google sees benefits in corporate blogging, “Company says internal blogs can be used to track
meeting notes, share diagnostics information and code.” InfoWorld, November 18, 2004
http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/11/18/HNgooglecorpblog_1.html
HP quietly begins Web log experiment – “Hewlett-Packard Co. has become the latest IT vendor to
dip its toes in the wild world of Web logging, or blogging.” IDG News Service, 23 Nov 2004,
http://tinyurl.com/689r4
See beSpacific.com’s regular updates on blogging at
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/cat_blogs.html
Blogging policy examples – Charlene Li,
http://forrester.typepad.com/charleneli/2004/11/blogging_policy.html

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