Comments on: We mourn the passing of these corporate blogs http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs Cornelius Puschmann on corporate and institutional blogging, linguistics, open access and other things that interest him. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:45:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: John Cass http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-9370 John Cass Thu, 21 Dec 2006 03:33:24 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-9370 Cornelius, I think you are completely right about focusing a blog on customer support and feedback. Though I'd disagree with you that those subjects are not marketing. Marketing is after all the process of understanding the needs and wants of a customer, and satisfying them efficiently and profitably. There's a lot of room for listening in that definition. I think many people associate marketing with sales, or adverting. When it is so much more. This was the whole thesis of the corporate blogging survey 2005. Basically product managers at Macromedia were using blogging to gather feedback from customers, and in the process customers became evanglists for Macromedia. Which resulted in more links, traffic and sales. Blogging was not advertising, but in this context it was marketing. Cornelius,

I think you are completely right about focusing a blog on customer support and feedback. Though I’d disagree with you that those subjects are not marketing.

Marketing is after all the process of understanding the needs and wants of a customer, and satisfying them efficiently and profitably. There’s a lot of room for listening in that definition. I think many people associate marketing with sales, or adverting. When it is so much more.

This was the whole thesis of the corporate blogging survey 2005. Basically product managers at Macromedia were using blogging to gather feedback from customers, and in the process customers became evanglists for Macromedia. Which resulted in more links, traffic and sales. Blogging was not advertising, but in this context it was marketing.

]]> By: Ketcheson.net :: links for 2006-12-19 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-9226 Ketcheson.net :: links for 2006-12-19 Tue, 19 Dec 2006 08:34:30 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-9226 [...] CorpBlawg » We mourn the passing of these corporate blogs Dead corporate blogs (tags: corporate_blogging) [...] [...] CorpBlawg » We mourn the passing of these corporate blogs Dead corporate blogs (tags: corporate_blogging) [...]

]]> By: Cornelius http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-9032 Cornelius Sun, 17 Dec 2006 22:38:16 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-9032 Very true, John. Yogurt doesn't work too well as the main theme for a product blog. I think those products blogs that work despite being built around something simple are those that actually focus on something closely related, instead of just the product itself. For example, Real Baking With Rose (realbakingwithrose.com) works because its about baking and because Rose Levy Beranbaum writes well. I think other areas of business blogging (PR/image blogging, CEO blogging, customer support via blog etc) might be more promising in the long run than marketing via blog, unless you have the right product or a talented blogger on your payroll. Very true, John. Yogurt doesn’t work too well as the main theme for a product blog. I think those products blogs that work despite being built around something simple are those that actually focus on something closely related, instead of just the product itself.

For example, Real Baking With Rose (realbakingwithrose.com) works because its about baking and because Rose Levy Beranbaum writes well.

I think other areas of business blogging (PR/image blogging, CEO blogging, customer support via blog etc) might be more promising in the long run than marketing via blog, unless you have the right product or a talented blogger on your payroll.

]]> By: John Cass http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-8891 John Cass Sun, 17 Dec 2006 15:53:10 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-8891 Don't forget the Maytag blog, and that three out of the original stonyfield farm blogs were dropped. Blogging is still an experiment for most people and companies, some will work and some will not. I think it really depends upon the audience, and if you can develop the right content for them. Stonyfield Farm is again a good example of this, the farmer blog continues stronger than ever. I agree with you Cornelius, the issue is a lack of direction, maybe not enough blogging, or may too many ideas are the reasons for the silence. I disagree about the products idea, I think Macromedia, now adobe is a great example of a company that does use its blogs for product discussion. I just think it depends on the type of products. If you have complex products that involve a lot of complexity, then you will probably have a lot of customers with questions. A product blog about a simple product would not work as well. That's why Stonyfield does not have one. You can only write so much about yogurt. Don’t forget the Maytag blog, and that three out of the original stonyfield farm blogs were dropped.

Blogging is still an experiment for most people and companies, some will work and some will not. I think it really depends upon the audience, and if you can develop the right content for them. Stonyfield Farm is again a good example of this, the farmer blog continues stronger than ever.

I agree with you Cornelius, the issue is a lack of direction, maybe not enough blogging, or may too many ideas are the reasons for the silence.

I disagree about the products idea, I think Macromedia, now adobe is a great example of a company that does use its blogs for product discussion. I just think it depends on the type of products. If you have complex products that involve a lot of complexity, then you will probably have a lot of customers with questions. A product blog about a simple product would not work as well. That’s why Stonyfield does not have one. You can only write so much about yogurt.

]]> By: Cornelius http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-8690 Cornelius Sat, 16 Dec 2006 17:36:02 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-8690 I think companies will plan the development of public blogs with more care in the future. Corporate blogging is still in its infancy and that won't change too soon, thus "experiments" will still sometimes fail. Maybe I'm generalizing, but I'd say a lack of direction plays an important part when blogs die. Several of these seem not to have had a clear idea of what they wanted to talk about. What are the things that just don't cut it for a blog? I mean what things just aren't interesting enough to be the central topic of a blog? I'd say products, but that vastly depends on what you're talking about... I think companies will plan the development of public blogs with more care in the future. Corporate blogging is still in its infancy and that won’t change too soon, thus “experiments” will still sometimes fail.

Maybe I’m generalizing, but I’d say a lack of direction plays an important part when blogs die. Several of these seem not to have had a clear idea of what they wanted to talk about.

What are the things that just don’t cut it for a blog? I mean what things just aren’t interesting enough to be the central topic of a blog? I’d say products, but that vastly depends on what you’re talking about…

]]> By: Easton Ellsworth http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-8689 Easton Ellsworth Sat, 16 Dec 2006 17:00:33 +0000 http://corpblawg.ynada.com/2006/12/15/we-mourn-the-passing-of-these-corporate-blogs#comment-8689 Genius post, Cornelius. Sadly, a lot of corporate blogs are either dead, dying or never became fully alive in the first place. Goes to show that just *having* a corporate blog isn't enough. We're still at the point where a lot of people don't seem to mind if a business starts a blog and then inexplicably drops it. I doubt that will continue for much longer. Our collective patience with business blogs will probably wane somewhat. Genius post, Cornelius. Sadly, a lot of corporate blogs are either dead, dying or never became fully alive in the first place. Goes to show that just *having* a corporate blog isn’t enough. We’re still at the point where a lot of people don’t seem to mind if a business starts a blog and then inexplicably drops it. I doubt that will continue for much longer. Our collective patience with business blogs will probably wane somewhat.

]]>