1/27/2005 16:08

In this week's Blog Business Summit, we were treated to a keynote by Robert Scoble, Microsoft's ace blogger. In it, he addressed some very human feelings associated with creating and maintaining a blog. I found his insights to be compelling, and (since it's such a mysterious realm for marketers) thought I'd share them here.

Let me say here that his PowerPoint delivery skills were a hoot, but I quickly got over the fact that he got out of slide show mode early on, and we had to follow along as he scrolled up and down the slides in 'preview mode' on the left.

Anyway, delivery notwithstanding, his insights were excellent. Here are some of my notes:

The brave new world of blogs:

Opportunities: They'll come to you because of your passion and authority in this new world.

Ethics: The blogosphere will 'clean itself out' from lies or mis-representations quickly - usually, within hours. (Remember the Swift Boat Veterans hubbub?) Don't lie in a blog, there are smarter people in the audience than you are.

Momentum: Evangelize your product or service through 'connectors.' If there's a target blogger you'd like to reach in your area of influence, talk to the 5-10 bloggers around your target. They'll blog about it, and your target will notice. (It only takes five people talking about a subject to capture Scoble's attention.)

Fear: The fear of blogging and being exposed? (Or there's a worse fear - what if I blog and no one notices?) Blog. Then blog some more. Keep at it. Keep linking out, and people will pick up on your efforts.

And while we're at it, what if conflicts erupt? (I'm remembering being called "pond scum.") According to Scoble, humans love a good story. Go ahead and be provocative - conflicts between opposing viewpoints engage readers.

Go check him out. The guy walks around with a big smile on his face. Clearly, he's living with a clear conscience and a warm heart. And he's the kind of guy who'll share his wine and cheese with complete strangers. Thank you for the inspiration, Robert Scoble!

Posted by at January 27, 2005 4:08 PM

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