Corporate Blogging Chap 3

Corporate Blogging M.Ramesh

Corporate Blogging

Presentation Overview • • • • • • • • • •

Blog facts Overall blog stats Blogging applications Blog features Tracking blogs at large Corporate blogging stats Why blog What to blog about Got Content! Blogging Essentials – benefits, people, time, cost • Elements/components of good blogs

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Content creation and management Marketing and branding, inhouse and to the public Blogs as knowledge management tools – Adjunct to portals, websites, intranets Examples of focused, topical blogs More reasons you should blog Tech companies lead the way in corporate blogging News and resources on corporate blogging

Facts about blogs

Parts of a blog – consider which elements to use

How many blogs are there? Millions and millions….

But how many are updated regularly?

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

Blog Software – An overview of some options

Tracking Blogs

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

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)

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Excellent adjunct/alternative to email overload – Leverage your research and ability to disseminate it

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Create and promote key relationships within and across departments, groups and services

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Expand services to those across your organization Increase productivity and info exchange through better time management and resource allocation Seamless access via internal network –

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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 $

Blogging Essentials – benefits, people, time, cost •

Is a blog the app you should choose – Who are you trying to serve, and why

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Needs assessment – Have a specific goal, review progress and assess value

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Who is responsible for maintenance/updating Blogs can be “back-office” or front and center – Determine scope…or niche

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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.

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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

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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

Blogs – can they replace an intranet?

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

What to Blog About? Share the Knowledge • • • •

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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!

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

Example of a blog used for development, collaboration, testing

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

Example of a very focused topical blog: GM Small block Engine Blog

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

More Reasons Why You Should Blog • •

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Identify and target your users Provide channels of information – Choice/selection in data stream – From the general to the granular, your readers can choose if you offer them a range of content Supplementing info/data/resources from websites, e-newsletters, paid subscription services, online databases Aggregate your current publishing formats – Intranet – Portal – Websites – Handouts/brochures – Power Points – Emails – Newsletters

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Branding/marketing vehicle for your library – good PR – Offers tangible, ongoing documentation of work product – Justify resources, staffing, additional services Where is that report, news article, survey, training manual? – Promote, maximize internal collaboration, knowledge base management of resources, tasks and projects Real time publishing – Direct, no intermediary req’d You are the expert – Blogging will focus and expand upon your skills – Level the playing field…minimize barriers and increase visibility, communications, integration of resources

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/

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”

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Review websites you use that offer feeds – To locate feeds, look for the orange icon or button that says RSS, XML, Syndicate or Atom.

Microsoft has over 800 employees blogging…take a look

Bloggers from Sun Microsystems

CEO’s Who Blog

News and Resources About Corporate Blogging • • • • •

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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