Whatever your political persuasion — right, left, or center — the blogosphere is a great place for bloggers to share their political views and make plenty of friends and enemies. We try to follow the conservative, liberal, and everything in between of politics and political blogs/blogging — but only when it intersects with business blogging.
Have a read below of our latest entries on politics and political blogging…
When visiting Technorati.com this morning I noticed Dave Sifry’s mug on the lower right corner promoting a new feature called Technorati Favorites. From the Sifry’s Alerts blog:
“The blogosphere doubles every five months. As I’m writing this, Technorati is tracking 28.4 million blogs. That’s a whole lot of voices. Here at Technorati, we want to make the world of weblogs accessible, searchable, and fun for everyone to explore. Today we’re taking another step in that direction with a brand new feature: Technorati Favorites.”
You can add blogs manually, through the blog finder, through buttons you can place on your own blog, a bookmarklet or whenever you see the star icon on Technorati.com. There’s a search function just for your favorite blogs (sort of like Rollyo) and you can share your your favorites publicly with a static url.
Each Technorati account can add up to 50 of their favorite blogs. You can start now by adding Business Blog Consulting as one of your favorites by clicking this image:
If you haven’t checked in lately with GM’s top blogger Bob Lutz (he’s GM’s global vice president for product development), head on over to FastLane right now. His most recent entry – Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before – is a cogent rant on GM’s “image” problem. He comes about as close as he can to acknowledging the elephant in the room (GM’s financial woes). He writes:
This issue, this question of how do we increase awareness, improve our image, and enhance public opinion of our cars and trucks, is weighing on everyone’s mind in this company, from the plant floors to the boardroom. We are all weary of hearing that “GM doesn’t have any vehicles that people want� or that GM “doesn’t excite anyone� or doesn’t have any products that are “relevant.�
And then further on, after citing a bunch of recent awards for GM cars (the Solstice, the Corvette, the Hummer):
And yet, the coverage of our financial state [I bolded this] continues to point out our alleged lack of cars and trucks that people want. All the while more than a quarter of the vehicles sold in America are ours.
And finally:
We need to step up our non-traditional communications and word of mouth, and get our message directly to the people on a grass roots level. This blog is one example — but we need more avenues, and bigger ideas. What do you think?
I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty transparent to me for a Fortune 500 blog. Translation: we’ve got a problem. Can you help? So far, 178 readers have left comments on this entry. Fascinating to read: lots of specifics, on warranties, 1-day take-home test drives, tips on how to deal with MSM’s approach to the GM death spiral story, etc.
The question this weekend wasn’t if the Americans would win in hockey (the women just earned the bronze), but how BlogBurst (just in beta from Pluck) would compensate bloggers who sign up for their program to re-publish blog posts in MSM newspapers. A comment left on Techcrunch indicates that there will be a revenue share once BlogBurst leaves beta, so that is good news (sorta).
The larger question is, then, what will this mean for the MSM? Can newspapers re-build or reinvigorate their online readership with blog content? Blogs are certainly getting a lot of attention, and blogs, IMHO, are building and enhancing the ideas sparked in the MSM, seems to me that it would be a nice compliment to have blog posts related to a topic supplement online content.
It will remain to be seen, though, what the revenue model will be and how it pans out for bloggers.
Tags: BlogBurst, Pluck, Techcrunch, MSM
A report conducted by the recruitment firm OfficeTeam, the Office of the Future: 2020, looks ahead to the future of office work and the kinds of jobs that will be invented in the coming years, which they purport will include such things as Virtual Meetings Organizer, Human Resource Coordinator, and Information Integrator/Abstractor.
It was the Information Integrator/Abstractor role that intrigued me the most. According to the report, the job will include the collecting, compiling, and indexing of text, data and images in order that this content can be searched in a variety of ways.
It occurred to me that the business blogger of today is the predecessor to the information integrator/abstractor of the future. After all, what does a business blogger do but the following:
This could be the job description for a Corporate Blogger in 2006 as much as it could be one for an Information Integrator/Abstractor in 2020!
I’m quoted in today’s San Jose Mercury News in an article about the new Google China blog: “Google launches China blog a day before China hearing.” The reporter, Elise Ackerman, has just been assigned full-time to “Google” as a beat which she was really excited about. She phoned me late yesterday for an interview. Could hear her madly typing as we spoke, as she was on deadline. The story got a “weird edit” at the last minute, Elise said in an email this morning.
As in a, um, run-on sentence:
“Debbie Weil, author of the forthcoming “The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right,” said the idea [of the blog] was sound, but did not bring up the questions Google faced about its dealings with China overshadowed what would otherwise be a chirpy corporate branding effort.
[Update: the run-on has been fixed.]
The point of the article is the rather odd timing of the launch of Google’s chirpy China blog one day before the contentious hearings in the House this week.
BTW, I agreed with Joe Nocera’s provocative column in yesterday’s New York Times about the hearings: Enough Shame to Go Around on China. His point…
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As Slate morns the end of the business blog, the same day Business Blog Consulting is ranked as one of the top 25 most influential business blogs, the rest of us are just shaking our heads and repeating … it’s the technology stupid. Blogs aren’t and won’t ever be a magic bullet to save bad marketing, blogs and blogging are communications vehicles. Easy ones. Powerful ones. And ones that are here to stay, at least in some form.
So … fellow BBCers … let’s all chime in on this one. Steve, I gotcha here. Here are my two cents. And let the conversation, begin.
Tags: business blogging, Slate, blogging
I did PR for a while, and I was a journalist for quite a while, and one formula I’ve always been a fan of is “free stuff.” I especially endorse the idea for bloggers, particularly when you’re transparent that there are no explict expectations. As far as marketing dollars go, it’s a pretty cheap strategy. Hit or miss, but so is most of marketing. In that spirit, here’s a plug for an honest pitch (and note, I’m aware that they’re getting exposure from my even posting this without my even trying to get the free stuff, but that just proves my point that this is a good PR strategy):
Rick,
It’s probably Hugh MacLeod’s fault for giving away free wine to bloggers and now free dinners (not to mention John Scott’s latest attempt to grow traffic with talk of a $10,000 prize to a reader of his blog), but today Hillstead Publishing announced they’re giving 250 copies free to bloggers, of a book called “Living the Artist’s life”.
Unlike other book giveaways, there are no requirements to review, blog, or link. Time will tell if the ‘coversation’ gets bigger.
source: http://pauldorrell.com/blog/2006/02/free-books-for-bloggers.html
Disclosure: I am the webmaster of the book’s website
Thanks,
Liam Daly
www.TalkingSquares.com
Besides, I’m all for blaming things on Hugh.
I was talking with my girlfriend last night about this and Dana’s post about the most influential business bloggers (and a quick IM chat) really drove this point home … a lot of us have started great careers (sometimes even new ones) through blogging.
Think about Steve Rubel … he started a CooperKatz, started blogging and is now one of the most respected PR and business bloggers out there … not to mention now a senior VP at Edelman.
How about Dana … from his blogging and consulting … Pheedo
Rick Bruner … DoubleClick.
Me? From a consultant trying blogging for a kick to CBO at Qumana and partner in One By One Media
The lesson here is that blogging isn’t a magic bullet, but it does let you highlight your skills and talents to the world. Just by writing about what your are passionate about. Not bad. Not easy either, btw. It does take a lot of work, a lot of reading, and dedication. The rewards? Well the rewards are worth it. I enjoy writing but I enjoy even more the feeling that I’ve embarked on a whole new career path, just by doing something I love to do. And a new career that I am excited about and looking forward to for years to come.
So … fellow BBCers … what’s your story?
Interesting report from the Onalytica blog, measuring who the top 25 most influential business bloggers are, with full disclosure on their methodology for defining ‘influential.
Not sure I agree with their results, purely because they have a mix of blog networks (Corante), multi-author blogs (Businessblogconsulting) and famous single bloggers like Steve Rubel @ Micropersuasion.
Download the PDF of the report here.
The Results
Technorati Tags: blog research, blogosphere, business blogging, influence
Have you been reading Darren’s Blogging for Beginners series? No? Well you should. All of us should. It’s a great check-in for old hands and newbies. Today’s installment is on writing good content and another must-read on the blogosphere (maybe I should bone up on this since content is my topic for the Blogonomics Business Blogging Cruise … and BTW there is less than a month left to get discounted pricing). Darren’s series is something that you should certainly start with when you’re considering a business blog … or encouraging clients to blog.
Speaking of which …. if you are starting blog … this is another important article to read: 23 Questions for Prospective Bloggers – Is a Blog Right for You?. Let’s face it, while all of us here contributing to BBC are sold on blogging and lots of us are making careers of it, it isn’t for everyone. Starting with Darren’s post … ask yourself these questions … and you’ll be in a good position to know if a blog is right for you.
Tags: Business Blogging, Darren Rowse, How to blog, Blogonomics
Blogs to Riches – New York Magazine
Technorati adds authority weighting – Scoble
What is authority? – Rubel
State of the Blogosphere Part 2: Beyond Search – Sifry
How to Almost Live on Blogging – Wired
Corporate Brand Blog: Liberator or Oppressor? – Chief Marketer
Yes and no. Many blog entries just don’t elicit a response, even if it’s a popular or well-read blog. But sometimes a blog entry hits a nerve and it’s like uncorking a geyser.
That’s what’s happening today over on Steve Rubel’s Micro Persuasion blog where he’s announced that he’s moving to Edelman as a Senior VP. 42 comments and counting (“hey, congrats!” and “you da man!”) as of 2:48 PM Eastern. Hey, Steve, what’s the most comments you’ve ever gotten on one of your blog posts? We’d love to hear.
Micro Persuasion is #72 on Technorati’s Top 100 blog list.
Steve Rubel has made the big leap from CooperKatz to public relations giant Edelman:
“After five years at CooperKatz, I felt it was time for me to take the next step in my evolution. So I am excited to announce that I will be joining Rick Murray’s team at Edelman (the world’s largest independent PR firm) on February 27 as a Senior Vice President. I will be working out of their New York office.”
He humbly says he’ll be doing pretty much the same thing, just a bigger organization. One big question is, what happens to Micropersuasion? Apparently CooperKatz will rename their blog practice to Cogence and Edelman will not use the Micropersuasion name in any of their service offerings. Steve will be able to continue using the micropersuasion.com domain name. Further details can be found on the Micropersuasion blog.
Congratulations Steve!
Paul Gillin of “BtoB Magazine” is earnestly seeking non-tech company bloggers who are using weblogs for market research, specifically to collect research about customers and markets for an upcoming column. I know that there are companies whose blogs serve as market research – indeed, don’t just about all of these weblogs end up being customer research tools anyway, from which pages are most popular to the specific comments left?
Anyway, no pundits! He’s just looking for concrete, specific examples. Can you help him out? Please see:
Are you using blogs for market research?
Surely a couple of you will step forward and help?
Google has launched a Google China Blog. Yes, it’s in Chinese so I can’t read it. But clearly it’s an attempt to answer critics of the company’s decision to cooperate with the Chinese government in censoring search results. Here’s the story in ChinaTechNews. And a less charitable spin on it here at P2Pnet.
Included are a few links in English in the right-hand column including John Battelle’s Searchblog. Kinda cool. That’s what you might call “getting exposure.” What’s the population of China? I forget… but probably growing exponentially along with the blogosphere.
Oh, and what’s my stance on the doing-business-with-a-repressive-government thing? It’s complicated. I lean towards the view that Google’s being available to Chinese Internet users – even in a limited way – is better than not being available at all to them as a resource. And your take on it is… ? Click that Comments link above!
UPDATE
But this reaction may be rather simple-minded of me. Read NYTimes write-up of yesterday’s House Subcommittee hearing on human rights with testimony from top execs at Cisco, Yahoo, Microsoft and Google. And another thoughtful account of the heated debate from BlogBusinessSummit.
And finally, details from Rebecca MacKinnon on the proposed Global Online Freedom Act of 2006.
This is one of those great “some companies really ‘get it'” stories, the kind of thing I love to hear about as someone riding the very tip of the technology rocketship (think Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove and you’ll have my mental image exactly). Prentice-Hall Business Publishers have the same challenges that any company today faces, including motivating the sales force, identifying the key message or messages for marketing and making sure that the team stays on message rather than wandering off into pointless information that isn’t going to close any sort of deal.
But unlike most companies, PH decided to tackle the problem with blogs, podcasts and simulation games. It’s darn interesting:
Blogs, Podcasts and Simulations Improve Sales at Prentice-Hall
What have you done to help your sales team succeed today?
Just got a nice, semi-personal email from Jeff Veen at Adaptive Path stating that their newest project, Measure Map, the great blog analytics tool, has been acquired by Google.
So I said there was news, and here it is: I’m writing you to announce that Measure Map has been acquired by Google, effective today. For the near term, you will see no difference in its operations. In the not so distant future, you can expect great things from this acquisition. We couldn’t be happier to find such an ideal home for Measure Map, and are thrilled at the possibilities.
The obsessive compulsive blog stats person might be interested in a free service called MyBlogLog
MyBlogLog logs the clicking activity of your blog visitors and graphically displays which links are the most popular with your visitors by hovering over the link. This can fall under the heading of “stupid blog tricks,” but the service also allows you to post a sidebar widget that lists your most popular links.
This tool does add to the richness of your content.
Blogging events are appearing everywhere. As a result, more and more information is being exchanged about the power of business, marketing, public relations, and SEO blogs than ever before. The only problem is attending all of the functions. Not all bloggers have the necessary funds to share in the knowledge available.
Because of money shortages, many bloggers simply don’t go to any or all of the blogging conferences they might enjoy. Instead of mentioning their financial situations, the cash strapped blogger quietly avoids the issue, and stays at home. As a result, more people than the non-attending blogger are the losers.
The bloggers who elect to remain silent about their financial status miss an opportunity to learn more about the strength of blogging. Ideas that the stay at home bloggers possess about starting, building, and enhancing an online business are not shared with others. Everyone loses as some golden information sharing opportunites are lost.
Not only are ideas not shared with everyone, none are returned. After all, blogging concepts are more than a two way street. They are a multi-lane…yes…I know, I’ll say it…superhighway. Instead of free flowing traffic, there are only a few vehicles on the road. Many new entrants are left on the shoulders.
are lost chances to meet and network with peers. Other blog owners are your peers, and also potential business partners, customers, or vendors. Contacts lost by the few are boundless possibilities lost to the entire entire economy. We’re talking big picture stuff here.
Let’s not let any opportunites pass any bloggers left in the slow lane. Instead, share the wealth and sponsor a blogger to a blogging conference.
Find out which bloggers should be attending a blogging event, and offer to sponsor their trip in some way. Airline, train, or bus tickets are helpful for transportation to and from the event. Perhaps, you are driving to the conference. An extra blogging passenger, and incidently spare driver, could make for some pleasant company, and a much more enjoyable journey.
At the event city itself, offering a room or couch to a blogger eases the financial burden of paid accomodation. Sharing a home cooked meal with a hungry blogger can cement a friendship for life.
Businesses can get into the sponsorship act as well. In return for services such as transportation, food, and lodging, a blogger can offer some prominent advertising space on the blog. A mention in posts before, during, and after the event is powerful public relations for the company. If the business also has a business blog (as they should), their bloggers can mention the blogger sponsorship and the event as well.
How about a Sponsor A Blogger campaign, complete with clickable link buttons and a blog. The sponsor and the blogger would become an instant partnership, and share it with the world. Potential business relationships are even likely to follow.
As you can see, the possibilities are limited only by everyone’s imaginations.
Speak out if you want a sponsorship to an event. Potential sponsors should seek out bloggers who have something unique to offer.
Everyone wins in the end.
Interesting post from Heather Green at Business Week regarding advertising in RSS feeds. She interviews Feedburner’s Dick Costello who is discovering that contextual ads in RSS feeds don’t do as well as ads simply focused on the demographic of the reader.
This turns the typical ad model (blog about cameras gets ads about camera gear) on its ear a bit, but I think may make ads in RSS feeds a little more intersting.
It does make sense when you think about it. A blog viewer who comes to blog by way of search is, at the moment, focused on finding very specific information, including ads that relate to that information.
An RSS reader or subscriber may read the feed out of habit and be more open to reading and responding to an ad that hits other subjects.
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Business Blog Consulting is a site devoted to demonstrating how effective weblogs can be for communicating with customers and marketing to new customer prospects. You will find here lots of examples of business and corporate blogs, as well as resources to help you learn more about the topic.
Looking for a company that offers consulting on corporate and business blogging, including design, development and strategy? Consider Netconcepts.
Other stuff? Email us.
Toby Bloomberg of Diva Marketing
Andy Bourland of Bourland.com
Rich Brooks of Flyte
Paul Chaney of Blogging Systems Group
Sally Falkow of Expansion Plus
Josh Hallett of Hyku
Tris Hussey of Larix Consulting
Lee Odden of TopRank
Stephan Spencer of Netconcepts
Dave Taylor of Intuitive Life for Business
Jim Turner of One by One Media
Dana VanDen Heuvel of BlogSavant
Des Walsh of Thinking Home Business
Debbie Weil of WordBiz and BlogWrite
Jeremy Wright of Ensight
Rick E. Bruner is co-author and principal analyst on this report
Our own contributor Jeremy Wright is the author of this book
"The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right" with a foreword by GM's Bob Lutz..and the rest by Debbie Weil.
Produced by contributor to this site Debbie Weil. Rick E. Bruner is one of the featured experts in this report
This report is written by contributor to this site BL Ochman
I guess this was inevitable
