Well, because it's fun and funny if it works. And because it predisposes the reader to feel positive (even warm and fuzzy) about the blogger. And that's a great way to start the conversation and strengthen the connection with your audience.
MSM (mainstream media) gets how to do this. The Wall Street Journal ran a story yesterday titled:
Experiments Suggest Birds May Be Capable of Planning Ahead
Birds aren't so bird-brained after all... - Wall Street Journal (April 13, 2007, page B1)
In other words, be tongue-in-cheek and say something that runs counter to what people normally think. It's an old journalistic technique but it works. Try it!
Oh and about the birds... turns out scrub jays cache food for the future and a crow was observed fashioning a wire into a hook to grab food.
We've been doing this on our blog, and have found that the reader response is generally positive. Sometimes we get responses from internal company readers that they feel that a jovial nature isn't "professional" on a blog, but I must disagree. There is a different tone of voice required for corporate blogging, and that voice definitely isn't the same as the voice used in technical documentation or standard marketing communications.
Posted by: Jim | April 18, 2007 at 07:20 PM