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March 30, 2006
I was in the middle of another, completely different blog post this morning (which I'll continue to write, but not publish quite yet) when I was completely derailed by reading some fabulous blog posts. I don't take nearly enough time to just run amok in the blogosphere - but today I allowed myself to do so, and was completely stopped short by four posts.
Here's how it went:
1) Tara said - "Have you been to gapingvoid lately? He's doing some extremely funny things." Now Hugh Macleod is a guy who draws very funny cartoons on the back of business cards. First of all, his RSS Subscription "chicklet" made me laugh out loud. Seriously. But I was taken by his "New Hot Thing" cartoon, because a) it was colorful, which is relatively new for him, and b) he said it was inspired by a post by Evelyn Rodriguez.
2) I've met Evelyn at a couple of industry events, and found her to be highly intelligent, a beautiful writer, and full of soul. Imagine being able to meet someone at (I'll repeat) an industry event who exudes these qualities. You can imagine how they stand out. So of course, I had to follow Hugh's link to her post. In it, she asked:
"How many times has reading a blog been revelatory lately?"
Which got me thinking critically about how I write for Marqui's World. Instead of going into a potential spiral of despair, I continued to read on and follow her linked references, one of which took me to a post by Rebecca Blood.
3) Rebecca has been a speaker at a couple of events at which I've spoken, and (while I've not yet been able to meet her) she puts blogging and the blogosphere in excellent historic context, and compares and contrasts a lot. Of course, I love that. In this particular post, she wrote about how blogs can seem threatening because:
"...they unequivocally demonstrate that commercial publishing does not necessarily represent the best writing that is available."
Amen to that.
4) Evelyn also referenced 'the zone of mediocrity' in her post - which led me to a completely new place, Creating Passionate Users from the people who've written the Head First book series - about how the brain works. Evelyn's reference was to a post titled "Death by Risk Aversion," by Kathy Sierra. The image at the top of her post grabbed me immediately, and compelled me to read further. What a fabulous blog. Her "Code Like a Girl" entry was funny enough to send to a couple of men I know.
So on a day when I felt relatively uninspired, turns out I've had a couple of great laughs. My creative brain has been engaged - which is always a bonus for a marketer. And, as I wrap this post, I've been inspired by others' best writing in the blogosphere.
Perhaps - in passing some of it along - more revelatory words and images will result.
March 29, 2006
Another pretty eyetracking image for you, this time courtesy of Jakob Nielsen and Kara Pernice Coyne of Nielsen Norman Group. Based on their recent research, it appears folks aren't looking at Google ads in the right-hand margin any more than they do banner ads.
This image was published as part of the promotion for Neilsen's and Coyne's upcoming Eyetracking Web Usability tutorial(s). Might be worth checking out.
(Thanks to the folks at the Blog Business Summit for the heads up about this.)
March 28, 2006
Just back in from my family's epic road trip to DisneyWorld. 4,600 KM round trip with three kids in the back of a minivan - through 13 states and countless gas stations/coffee stops. Nice to be home.
Now trying to get back on top of email and prepare for my panel session this coming Friday. I'm moderating a morning session at the iSummit 2006 event here in Toronto, and really looking forward to this one.
The conference is completely sold out, and the line up of speakers and panellists is really impressive. The organizers have done a terrific job pulling together an agenda that includes senior execs from all of Canada's major media companies, and many US players too - Bell, Alliance Atlantis, Corus, CHUM TV, Rogers, AOL, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Warner Music, Nelvana, and many others. Plus I'm excited to see participants from the new media universe - with people from Creative Commons, OurMedia, Organic, Bryght, PubSub - and representatives from two of my essential daily online destinations: Pandora and Rocketboom.
My own panel session is titled: "Web 2.oh! A web renaissance?" - which promises to be a great and timely topic to get our collective teeth into.
March 24, 2006
A woman at Marqui's recent AMA web seminar on Marketing the Invisible asked a very interesting question of us:
Q. Has there been any research done on who is commenting to business blog posts that would tell us whether the commenters are really representative of the people who are customers or are they just a part of the population with time on their hands?
Are blogs like comment cards- only the people with really good or really bad experience or are they really a cross section?
A. I look at the people who've taken time to comment on Marqui's World posts, and here's what I've found:
Most of our commenters are highly intelligent, highly articulate people. And when they comment, they are adding their thoughts to a particular post that moves them. Many of our posts don't elicit comments, but when they do, it's nice to see a conversation ensue. I'd like to think these folks are representative of the people who are our customers.
In terms of business blog research, Backbone Media fielded some of the first that I'd seen (and participated in) last year. I don't believe they asked any specific questions about the types of comments on blogs.
But there was an article early last year by Anick Jesdanun of The Associated Press who said:
"....blogs have greater impact because their readers tend to be policy makers and other influencers of public opinion, media experts say."
Further, in my experience reading business blogs I like (like the one over at the Blog Business Summit), the comments are some of the most insightful parts of the blog.
I think it'd be a great opportunity for a smart market research company to field some research in this area. My bet is, they'd get plenty of media attention for publishing quantifiable results in this area, and business bloggers would get much needed information to support their decisions to blog.
March 24, 2006
As some of you may recall, I conducted an experiment on the various wire services a while back. I caught some heat at the time for not including PRWeb in my little test because....well, I just didn't take that particular service very seriously. (It traditionally hasn't had the best reputation among PR types.)
However, I am seeing more and more legitimate organizations use PRWeb and I have heard some good things about it from a search engine optimization perspective.
Okay, and I was also cornered by a PRWeb sales rep at the Essentials of Business Blogging seminar last week.
We have a couple of press releases coming up in the next few weeks, so I've decided to give it a try. As always, I will blog the results.
March 23, 2006
Seems as if I'm always encountering the fear of the blogosphere. I really do feel some days as if I'm the proverbial 'canary in a coal mine' telling people things they just don't want to know, like:
Blogs and social networks are not going to go away. In fact, they're becoming further adopted and entrenched as vibrant communication channels for everyone - businesses, consumers, and kids.
Last week the Portland Business Journal ran a cover story on business blogging. I was lucky to be the "poster girl" for blogging in business for Marqui. As many of our readers know, blogging has been very good for Marqui. And we had a pretty rough entry into the blogosphere.
And, as a result, I speak about blogging for business a lot.
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I was fortunate enough to speak at a conference at the University of Washington with a focus on Media Literacy and Teen Health. It was funded by the Washington State Department of Health, and presented by the UW's NW Center for Excellence in Media Literacy. Topics ranged from "The Future of American Media" to "Technology in Schools: Today and Tomorrow."
I was there to speak on blogging and social networks - to a whole new audience - people who work with kids.
On the first day, I noticed there were two sessions on "Teens and the Online Culture" and "Growing Up Online" that were being presented by Bobbie Eisenstock, PhD., a media educator and consultant specializing in "the effects of digital culture on children, teens and families." She consults with folks at the National PTA, Cedars-Sinai Pediatric Residency Program, the Kaiser Foundation and is currently on the faculty of California State University, Northridge.
I was impressed by her knowledge of social networking sites available to kids, and her common sense ideas for "basic rules of the road" for parents and kids who use social networking sites - like MySpace. (I blogged about my first MySpace experience here.)
But I was honestly stunned by the negative horror stories - about children being lured online into bad situations offline (to very dire consequences) - that were attributed to the niavety of children and blogging and social network sites. I even ran into an article yesterday in Online Media Daily about how major brand advertisers are shunning MySpace ads - because of the reputation for criminal abuse.
It quickly became clear to me that where blogging is already prolific - with kids and teens - there is more fear of the blogosphere than in business. And, more importantly, there is more ignorance.
I am convinced parents have no idea how easy it is for kids to set up accounts on sites like MySpace or LiveJournal. And in their innocence, they can publish too much information about themselves.
In fact, I had a gentleman come up to me the second day and say he went home and asked his son to show him his MySpace account. His son was surprised he asked to see it, and he was surprised his son had one.
The second day of the conference I encountered anger, frustration, and more fear around blogging and social networks from attendees of my session - when I was exposing them to how easily they've caught on. One man demanded to know who is responsible for what happens where kids are involved. In my own innocence, I said I thought parents were... at least for now. Well, it didn't go over well in a room full of educators and social service people - that an industry veteran would say parents should do more.
My answer to them - I will blog about this situation so (at least my readers) will know and share the following:
- Kids are already out there. They're already engaging with their friends in the blogosphere.
- And Bobbie Eisenstock's rules of the road should be available to every parent wondering what to do about it.
Pass it on. Blogs and social networks are not going to go away. So let's figure out how to help each other deal with it. And let's show how the blogosphere can do some very good work.
March 21, 2006
Finally getting around to typing up my notes from the March 10 PRSA event on Web Communications. All in all, it was a good event with some very insightful speakers.
Giovanni Rodriguez, the Principal of Eastwick Communications, kicked things off with a presentation titled "Are PR People 'Challenged'" and a clip from A Mighty Wind...yes, the one that makes PR people look really, really stupid.
Well, at least it proved that all of us PR types can laugh at ourselves...
Anyway, some of the highlights from Giovanni's presentation include his comment that PR people are finally moving from a role of interference to a role of counsel and support. He says that for the first time, public relations professionals must actually help clients relate to the public. (Novel concept!)
Giovanni also provided his top 10 rules for communicating:
- Be inclusive -- go out and converse with others
- Be open and transparent
- Be purposeful -- use the right tools for the right purpose
- Focus on values, not selling
- Don't be group-wise and self-foolish -- appeal to self interest and community
- Leverage the wisdom and power of crowds
- Wag The Long Tail (Sigh. I knew someone at the conference would feel obligated to use this phrase.)
- Build consensus
- Replicate the social structure
- Aim for the big stuff
The best session of the day was by far the Media Panel, which featured Kathy Gill (University of Washington), Kim Peterson (Seattle Times), David Locke (Sports Radio 950KJR/Seattle PI), Todd Bishop (Seattle PI) and Eric Fetters (The Herald).
I already mentioned my favorite quote from Kathy Gill, but Kim also had some great comments.
First, she strongly recommended that companies start using RSS for press releases. She says only a few companies are currently doing this, but it is a really convenient way for her to stay on top of news and cut down on e-mail.
Kim also said that for journalists, it can be a challenge to blog since they are always supposed to remain objective in their writing. She says that she personally tends to be less formal when blogging since there is a certain level of intimacy with the audience.
(Of course, I might argue that it is pretty much impossible to write objectively anyway and that blogs actually give folks a way to disclose any biases or conflicts in a very public manner. For example, I like how Mitch Ratcliffe has a link to a My Disclosure Page prominently displayed on his blog.)
Todd agreed with what Kim said, but commented that he believes that traditional media could benefit from a more conversational tone in general. He went on to say that there are instances at the PI where the blog gets more traffic than online articles.
David also had some interesting things to say around blogging and podcasts. He says he is torn on the idea of both since it presents a conflict with some of the objectives for his radio show. For instance, if he starts podcasting the show, will it cut down on listeners? And if so, will his ratings decline and could he suffer financially as a result? (As you can imagine, this stirred quite a debate over compensation models for journalists.)
On the flip side, he says he wholeheartedly believes in the relationship building element of both and likes the idea of being able to connect with listeners who may not be able to listen at the exact time the show airs.
There was also a fair amount of discussion toward the end of the Media Panel around embargoes and how journalists/bloggers handle them these days. It's a touchy subject since bloggers aren't necessarily interested in (or used to) honoring them, which can put more traditional media at a disadvantage. For example, Kim says she hates agreeing to embargoes now because it puts her in a bind if a story starts to leak out on blogs.
I'll have to revisit this particular topic though, since it deserves a fair amount of attention and this post is getting a little long...
March 17, 2006
Yesterday I was fortunate to spend the day in LA at the Essentials of Business Blogging Seminar that the Blog Business Summit folks put together. Tara bore the brunt of blogging for Marqui's World for the day (bless her heart), as I was on stage for a bit of the afternoon.
There were plenty of great questions from the audience, lots of interest, and I met a couple of business bloggers who were very juiced about their experiences:
Virginia Zart and Tom Lydon, with Global Trends Investments, were there. They blog about a hot new investment trend, which is very forward-thinking in my book. I joked with her that she had to write her blog address on the back of her business card. Next time they're reprinted, I'll bet her blog address will replace her fax number on the front of her card.
Virginia, you continue to be a good sport if you smile when you read this!
Eric Wakida from Lionsgate films was there, looking for new ways to promote and cross promote their four blogs. Eric, if you're reading this, put your blog addresses on your card, too. Promote it in every piece of business paper and collateral that you can. It'll be a great start.
I have cards from Diaky, Nina, Mary and two Jans who will be hearing from me later today with follow-up materials. If anyone would like to see my slides from my session on Promoting Your Blog, they're here.
Many thanks to Steve, Byron, Teresa and Anil, for the summit.
And again, my sincere apologies to the gentleman in the front row I almost beamed with the Marqui water bottle. eek.
March 16, 2006
The Essentials of Business Blogging seminar is starting to draw to a close so I am going to wrap up my event coverage with this little gem of a quote from Anil:
"Some people are psychopaths; that's not a software problem."
March 16, 2006
Okay, Anil Dash is back on stage showing some of the pitches he's received from PR firms trying to get coverage in his blog. This kind of thing is usually pretty traumatizing for me (as a PR person) because it showcases why we have such a poor reputation. I mean, he's got pitches in here with his name misspelled, and even more that have absolutely nothing to do with what he likes to blog about.
Journalists have been complaining for years that PR people need to get their act together and do a little research before they pick up the phone or send an e-mail. Apparently the industry hasn't learned its lesson since we are now replicating these mistakes in an entirely new medium.
Very sad.
March 16, 2006
Anil Dash took the floor at the Essentials of Business Blogging seminar to talk about how to monitor what's being said about you/your company in the blogosphere.
A lot of it was pretty basic stuff -- for instance, he recommended using services like PubSub, Technorati, IceRocket, etc. to see what people are saying about you and who is linking to you.
He also talked about how to get metrics for RSS feeds through services such as FeedBurner. The bottom line on RSS metrics: basic information is available thanks to vendors such as FeedBurner, but it's still not possible to drill down and get demographical information on individual subscribers. (For more info on RSS, check out Marqui's RSS whitepaper.)
Some quotables from his presentation:
*Services like PubSub are kind of like crack. Once you start using them you can't stop.
*Blogs can be an early warning system. Monitor them and you will see whatever is bubbling to the surface in real time.
*If people blog about you, they want -- and pretty much expect -- you to acknowledge it...which can be difficult depending on how many people are doing it. Blogs are about relationships and people expect you to honor that relationship.
Anil and Byron are now tag teaming the session on "Building Your Blog: Features and Tools." Byron said he is going to link to their presentation from the seminar's blog, so keep an eye out for it there.
March 16, 2006
Janet and I are in Los Angeles today attending the Essentials of Business Blogging seminar (Janet will be presenting at the event later today).
It's off to a good start so far...good crowd, nice intro speech from Steve Broback on "What Blogs Are and Why They Are Taking Over," the wireless network is rock solid, and there are plenty of power outlets.
Of course, I wish they had left a little more room between the seats. It's feeling a bit sardine-like in here.
Anyway, some highlights from Steve's speech:
*He recapped why search engines like blogs so much, explaining that engines such as Google like well-constructed, clean sites and blogs fit the bill perfectly. He also reminded us that search engines prefer sites that are frequently updated and have a lot of inbound links -- again, blogs fit the bill perfectly. The amusing part about this part of the discussion was how he kept personifying Google. He kept saying things like "Google loves this" and "This makes Google SO happy." I still can't decide whether this falls into the somewhat cute or somewhat creepy category...
*Steve also took a number of stabs at traditional content management systems, saying that they are much too difficult to use and that he often recommends that clients consider just using blog software to run their entire site. (Um, Steve, have you tried Marqui???)
*He then gave us a nice demo of how to post an entry to a blog.
Next up: sessions on RSS and Building Your Blog.
March 15, 2006
Janet and I had a mid-project status call with the Influencer50 folks last week. They have already sent out the survey and received a healthy response -- 7.5% of the people who received it ended up completing it.
I won't disclose the full results of that survey quite yet (we may end up doing a press release on it later on), but here are just a few tidbits we found interesting:
*83% of respondents said they have already implemented (or plan to implement) some form of marketing automation or campaign management software.
*40% of respondents said they regularly read AdvertisingAge Magazine...whereas only 14% said they regularly read PR Week. (Kind of intriguing given that this particular survey even went to a PR Week subscriber list!)
*Only 15% of respondents said they are planning to attend Ad:Tech Chicago or San Francisco in the next year, whereas 62% said they will attend regional shows such as AMA, BMA, PRSA or DMA events.
If we do decide to issue a press release on the full survey, I will be sure to flag it here.
Next up for the Influencer50 team: more research to determine who the top 50 industry influencers are for Marqui's market.
And BTW, since I know a few of Marqui's competitors like to lurk around this blog...I hope you enjoy these little nuggets of info!
March 13, 2006
...is coming soon. Overall, it was a very good event. Quote of the day honors went to University of Washington Professor (and blogger) Kathy Gill who said something along the lines of:
"Blogs are training employers to trust their employees...and they are training employees to act like professionals that not only have brains, but also understand boundaries."
She was talking very fast, so hopefully I wrote that down correctly. But you get the idea. And for the record, I think it's an excellent point.
March 13, 2006
I've mentioned a few times that in addition to writing for Marqui's World, I contribute to MarcomBlog. (As a quick reminder: MarcomBlog is a collaborative effort between a group of public relations/marketing professionals and students in Auburn University's Department of Communication and Journalism.)
I've been involved with MarcomBlog for the past year, and have been consistently amazed not only by the dedication of the teacher who started this project (Robert French), but also by the caliber of students participating in it.
Well, these students have raised the bar even higher with their new initiative: Forward. As described on the Web site, Forward is intended to serve as "the online springboard for new and upcoming PR professionals."
As part of this project, they are looking for PR professionals to contribute to the site (i.e., through comments, links, etc). So, for the PR types reading this post, please take a moment to check out the site...and then take a few more moments and find a way to contribute.
You'll be glad you did.
March 8, 2006
Much has been said about Wal-Mart's attempt to leverage bloggers in a PR campaign. The story, in yesterday's NY Times (free registration is likely required), has prompted a ton of chatter in the blogosphere. Positive and negative. Of course, it's interesting that Edelman (who recently snagged Steve Rubel) is consulting with Wal-Mart on their "engage the bloggers" campaign.
It reminds me a lot of our paybloggers campaign that we launched in December of 2004. We caused a big stir, but we were immediately (as a result) a participant in this great new conversation. And we were thrust deep into the politics, the ethics and the discourse of the blogosphere.
A public move like that prompts discussion. As long as you actively engage in the discussion, respond to your detractors, and drive to closure, you'll win in the end.
March 8, 2006
As I mentioned yesterday, Janet and I are talking to a group of Oregon business folks this morning about how to get started with this whole blogging "thing." Seeing is believing, so we thought a real-time post to Marqui's World would be a little more compelling that just death by PowerPoint.
For those of you participating in today's discussion, what do you think? Is blogging something you are going to pursue?
March 7, 2006
Janet and I will be on the road a fair amount the next few weeks, and most of the events have a common theme: blogging.
Tomorrow morning, we are back at the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce advising a group of local businesses on how to start blogging. Then I head up to Seattle on Friday to check out the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) event on "Integrating Web Communications in Public Relations Campaigns."
From there, we both head to sunny Los Angeles for the Essentials of Business Blogging Seminar.
Internet access permitting, we will blog from these events.
March 6, 2006
Q: Is there a standardized set of techniques for directing targeted end-users to your Web 2.0 marketing communications?
A: If you think of Web 2.0 marketing communications simply as new channels to distribute your marketing messages, the techniques you use to drive people to those channels are likely to be very familiar to you. You'll just want to open your eyes and minds to thinking a little differently about what you can use to drive behavior - because you've certainly got new tools to use.
For example, at Marqui, we've started to drive traffic to online events (like the AMA Marketing Power presentation that prompted these questions) through Google AdWords. It is a cost-effective way to drive traffic if you have a subject that's pretty discrete - especially in search terms.
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We were able to drive more than 20 attendees to our recent RSS Rx web seminar by buying phrases like "RSS feeds" and "Create RSS"
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It ended up costing Marqui between $10-$12 per lead through Google AdWords - which is great from our perspective - and we had a preset budget, so it didn't break the bank.
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We know (through watching our CRM system) that attendees to that seminar are receptive to learning how they might use Marqui to power their RSS feeds.
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You can download our white paper on RSS here, by the way.
We promote our Marqui's World blog in all of our communications - from e-mail signatures to sales tools to printed letterhead - everything people get from Marqui not only has our web site address, it has our blog address.
The same tried and true principles will work in a Marketing 2.0 and Web 2.0 world - if you just think about your activities in your current channels then apply a little creative thinking in the new channels to them.
Q: How pertinent is this type of marketing to a small very local business?
A: In my opinion, small businesses can leverage these new channels (especially blogs) to improve their "find-ability" online. Because of their fresh content and links, search engines generally rank blogs highly - and therefore they often come up at the top of search results. When was the last time you went through more than one page of Google results?
So if I were a Portland, OR plumber, I'd start a blog and talk about the state of plumbing in Portland, OR. A lot. I'd use the phrase "plumber in Portland, OR" - and any other phrase I could think of that people search on - a lot in my blog posts. And I'd know I was going to come up to the top of the search results over time. Anyone who'd find me would be able to see I was a Portland, OR plumber, and I believe business would come as a result.
Now that's organic placement.
For the little guy, it's much less expensive than paid placement on Google, and other search engines. And probably less expensive than advertising in many venues. You're working hard to build your business. Use some simple, cost-effective Marketing 2.0 tools to build local presence and market leadership.
March 3, 2006
...or at least its attitude toward blogging. Listen to the Podcast or read the blog on the Blog Business Summit site.
March 3, 2006
Q: So how exactly do companies market through blogs? Do you make it anonymous and plant positive info about yourself? Do you have a blog about something in your industry so people come to your Web site? What is the goal here?
A: When you can facilitate public discussion about your company, it is one of the purest (and can be one of the most effective) forms of promotion. Just ask Trader Joe's or IKEA. And word of mouth marketing through blogs can actually have a tangible impact on sales, as a South African winery recently discovered.
We have a whitepaper on this very topic, so I would suggest you check it out. At the very least, heed this little warning: don't bother with the anonymous-person-planting-positive-things route. You will almost certainly be found out and it will definitely be embarrassing.
Q: What is the right way to use RSS?
A: RSS is the ultimate opt-in. RSS means you don't have to remember dozens of places to go for the latest news; it all just comes to you. Think of it as the foundation for a new way to get information online -- you can simply subscribe to the items you are interested in on a particular Web site, and every time there's new information available, you'll automatically be notified.
Imagine being alerted:
- The instant your competition updates information in the "News" section of their Web site
- Whenever a transaction hits your credit union account
- Whenever a job listing in your area of expertise opens in your marketplace
For a business, it's a great new way to communicate information to a highly interested audience. And despite the common misconception, RSS is by no means limited to blogs; it can be used to publish everything from press releases to event announcements to special promotions and more.
More information on this can be found in our RSS whitepaper.
Q: What does "Meme" stand for?
A: According to Wikipedia, the term "meme" (which rhymes with "theme") refers to any piece of information transferable from one mind to another. Examples might include thoughts, ideas, theories, practices, habits, songs, dances and moods.
My much simpler definition based on its usual context: meme equals geek speak for "cool concept."
Q: Would you please define Folksonomy, Open APIs and The Long Tail?
A: Once again I turn to Wikipedia...Folksonomy (a combination of the words "folk" and "taxonomy") refers to the collaborative but unsophisticated way in which information is being categorized on the Web. Basically, instead of everyone following some sort of pre-set classification system when they are describing photos, files, etc. online, they are doing whatever happens to make sense to them. Kinda like how some people prefer to file business cards by last name, while others like to file by company name.
Open API is the short form of Open Application Programming Interface. An application programming interface (API) is the interface that a computer system, library or application provides in order to allow requests for service to be made of it by other computer programs, and/or to allow data to be exchanged between them. An API that does not require royalties for access and usage is called "Open."
The Long Tail (as a proper noun with capitalized letters) was first coined by Chris Anderson in a 2004 Wired Magazine article to describe certain business and economic models such as Amazon.com or Netflix. Anderson argued that products that are in low demand or have low sales volume can collectively make up a market share that rivals or exceeds the relatively few current bestsellers and blockbusters, if the store or distribution channel is large enough.
To add one more tidbit to Wikipedia's definition...I think The Long Tail must also have the dubious honor of being one of the most overused terms in the blogosphere. Thus, I solemnly swear to never blog that term again.
March 2, 2006
Here's the next round of questions and answers from last week's American Marketing Association Web seminar. I have been traveling all week, so I've recruited various Marquians to help me pull together the rest of the answers in a timely manner. So, to Chris, Debra, Suzi, Lynn, Michael, Melissa, Kelley, George and Jim: thank you very, very much for your help on this!
Q: There are a lot of different blogs. Today most of the people I know have blogs. How does this phenomenon affect a company's blog? How should they be designed in this context in order to be visible?
A: There are a lot of related things one can do to raise your corporate blog up out of the background noise. We cover a detailed list of the top ten tactics in our Business Blogging Workshop (ask us for more details, if you're interested). For now, though, I'll summarize a couple of the key points.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that blogging is about community. If you want to attract and retain an audience, it's not good enough just to provide great blog content -- you also have to actively participate in the social networks that exist around your areas of interest. Point to other bloggers, comment on their blogs -- join in the conversations. In general: the more active your participation, the more attention your own blog will receive. If you're not sure why this works the way it does, drop us an email and we'll gladly explain in more detail.
If visibility is your primary concern, another key point of note is to always write with the search engines in mind. This can be a challenge when you're trying to keep your writing natural and direct, but it's worth thinking about. As an example, Mitch Joel of Twist Image Multimarketing was at a conference last December, in a room full of bloggers and blog aspirants. He pointed out the importance of being search engine friendly when choosing a subject line for your blog posts. By practicing what he preached, Mitch's blog is still the #2 Google hit on a search for the name of the conference – simply because he was smart and literal about how he titled his posts.
Q: When you get a minute, I'd like some perspective on "search to subscribe." This is a new concept to me.
A: The full term here is "browse to search to subscribe." The concept describes how our use of the Web continues to evolve as the enabling technology advances. In the early days, we spoke of "browsing" the Web; hopping from link to link as you surfed through the relatively small number of sites.
As the amount of online content has grown exponentially, search engines have become essential tools to help us find what interests us.
The next model of interaction with the Web is the subscribe approach. Subscription (using RSS, for example) lets us keep abreast of the things that we're interested in by automatically fetching updated content as it becomes available. With the addition of collaborative filtering, it's not far-fetched to suggest that the subscribe approach will soon be enhanced by systems that can offer up new things we are likely to be interested in, based on an understanding of our preferences.
Charles Fitzgerald, Microsoft's General Manager of Platform Strategy, was probably the first to coin the term "browse to search to subscribe" in this post.
Q: What is the real-world timeframe for investigating these Web 2.0 tools as legitimate marketing and communications vehicles?
A: This really varies depending on your company, your target audience, etc. so the answer could be two weeks, two months, two years, or all of the above. The timeframe is whatever you choose it to be; go as fast or as slowly as you like, but at least do something.
Q: Do you have a definition for Podcast and Blog?
A: From Wikipedia...podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the internet using either RSS or Atom syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers. A podcast is a Web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to download or subscribe to, and also the content of that feed. Podcasters' Web sites also may offer direct download of their files, but the subscription feed of automatically delivered new content is what distinguishes a podcast from a simple download or real-time streaming (see below). Podcasting's essence is about creating content (audio or video) for an audience that wants to listen when they want, where they want, and how they want.
A blog is a Web site in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is a shortened form of Weblog or Web log. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called "blogging". Individual articles on a blog are called "blog posts," "posts" or "entries.” A person who posts these entries is called a "blogger."
For more definitions, check out our marketer-friendly glossary of terms.
Q: How do we find out if a competitor is buying keywords? Is this publicly available?
A: This information is absolutely available. If you go to a search engine and type in a few words, it's generally pretty easy to see who is buying those words -- for example, Google refers to them as "sponsored links" and they appear at the right and in the blue section at the top. Try that a few times with relevant keywords on various search engines and you will get a good feel for who is buying what.
There is also a tool called Gindex (developed by Paul Kedrosky who happens to be on our Board), which can provide this information for Google in about one second.
Q: Can you recommend any tools to help control and manage blogs?
A. Well, there is this great company called Marqui and they have this fabulous solution for business bloggers...
Q: How do churches/religious environments use these tools?
A: The religious community has actually been an eager adopter of blogging, RSS, etc. For example, Churches.com offers a variety of information via RSS feeds, including a Bible Quiz. Check out BloggingChurch.com for a list of blogging churches and pastors, and some additional information on how religious organizations can leverage blogs.
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