Got a great anecdote about a corporate blog?

I'm looking for off-the-beaten-track anecdotes about effective - or ineffective (i.e. big blooper) - corporate blogs. Got one? Submit it below. Be sure to tell me why you think it's significant and should be included in the book. Here are a couple I've collected recently: SparkleLikeTheStars (about celebrity jewelry and how to buy knockoffs) and JustAskLeslie (jewelry tips). These are clever "related topic" blogs. Both sell jewelry for Ice.com.

Comments

[Aimee]

SparkleLikeTheStars is TOO CUTE! What a clever way to sell jewelry. Normally, I would find such a blatantly mercenary blog a little off-putting, but this is funny and original.

With advice like: "If you’re under 30 and single, you really shouldn’t wear anything over a quarter carat, under 25 and 1/10 carat is all you need. You can get a little bigger with age or a husband." ...this feels like it could have been written by Cindy Adams!

Very smart stuff. I imagine it's very effective.

[Brian Duvall]

I'm blogging about Dirtsurfer, a new extreme sports product company based in Australia. www.dirtsurfer.com

Here's the situation and a word of caution re-enforcing what's all over the news about blogging these days...
Even though the company has been around for a few years, they haven't quite hit it big yet. They are re-establishing production but haven't done much in way of communicating to the world what's up with them. So, being a fan of the product (I own two) I started talking to the inventor and investors and blogging about the company. Two weeks ago, I posted some info about some potentially confidential board related items. Nothing much really but it caught the attention of someone in the U.K. who immediately started asking questions. This resulted in a phone call from the board of directors to me about my blog and what I can write about.

Here's the rub... they were generous to allow me high level access which I want to protect. But, I'm not an employee and do not directly fall under their control... so "journalistic integrity", getting the scoop, credibility, etc. come into question.

It's about balance of priorities and purpose. I want to promote the sport and the awesome experience you can only get riding a Dirtsurfer. I do not want to hurt the cause with my actions. So, we are working out some agreements on blog content control. If you like, I can keep you posted on the result.

Good luck on your book. A friend of mine writes math books for the big schoolbook publishers. Based on what I know about what he goes through... be prepared to take criticism and do massive editing. It takes a lot of time to get it to the final stages. Don't take it personally.

[Emily Bennington]

Congratulations on your book deal Penguin! Two months from start to finish seems like a long time but, in the publishing world, it’s actually pretty quick. And I should know. I’m an author myself working on my first book, Career Daily: 130 Ways to Stand Out, Fit in and Move Up on Your First Job. (We have a wonderful agent, Linda Konner, who will be submitting the book to publishers soon.)

Indeed, the reason we were even considered by Ms. Konner is from the power of my co-author Skip Lineberg’s blog, www.marketinggenuis.blogspot.com. (It’s a real boon for the blogging industry that books are being bought from authors with no other significant platform except their loyal blog readers. This is new.)

In any event, I believe Skip’s blog is exceptional because, in the span of less than two years, it is now pulling 73,000 readers per month at last count. Skip runs a marketing agency in Charleston, West Virginia (see www.maplecreative.com for more info) but – through the power of his blog – he has been able to connect with other professionals around the world.

Not only has Skip secured an agent (and forthcoming publishing contract) from the blog, but Apple Computer has taken note and asked him to consult with the company at their California location. Would all this have happened without the blog? I think not. Moreover, Marketing Sherpa(.com), the popular online media company, has selected Marketing Genius as one of their four finalists in the Reader’s Choice Blog Awards.

As Skip and thousands of others have proven, blogging is a remarkable way to find and build a market for any business. I can’t wait to read your book when it hits the shelves!

Emily Bennington
Founder, Professional’s Studio
www.professionalsstudio.com

[Gregory Kohs]

As someone who has just started a personal/corporate blog (called Inside Market Research), I would like to see one topic addressed in your book:

What sorts of things do I write about for the first few days, weeks, or months, when (understandably) my readership is virtually non-existent?

I have this feeling that if I write some really brilliant posts NOW, it will be a shame when (sometime a few months from now), when my blog is finally in the top 100, that brilliant material will be buried in an Archive link, where nobody's going to read it.

Then again, if I merely post off-topic fluff at this time, the people who DO visit Inside Market Research who are looking for valuable insight on marketing research and public opinion polling -- they're going to be disappointed and never visit again.

What to do, Debbie??

Gregory Kohs
ICR/International Communications Research
Author of Inside Market Research
insidemr.blogspot.com

[Debbie Weil]

Great question Gregory. Here's a short answer you might find helpful: go ahead and be as brilliant as you can. Then include links to these early posts in the left or right-hand column of your blog. Call them: Most Popular Entries or something like that. Readers are bound to click through and read them.

[Tara Hunt]

Congrats on the book! I look forward to buying it.

I published a story about using a blog in lieu of a daily digest at conferences (from experience) at Marketing Watchdog:

http://www.internetviz-newsletters.com/bulldog/e_article000404957.cfm?x=b50fwgs,b2g4cJsF

It may be an interesting angle.

Tara

[Tara Hunt]

I'm just putting together an article and thought I'd share these 'Don't's for corporate blogging, complete with URLS:

1. Don't make partisan statements unless you are a politician or a free agent:

http://www.bobparsons.com/CloseGitmoNowayThinkourinterrogationmethodsaretoughPrisonersintheMiddleEasttalkquickHereswhyt.html

2. Don't be all sell sell sell

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

3. Don't put 'Terms & Conditions' on your Weblog

http://wiproweblog.com/terms_conditions.htm

4. Don't fake it

http://www.sparklebodyspray.com/
http://www.bloggerheads.com/raging_cow/

5. Don't have your 'mascot' or other inanimate object speak in your blog

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/custom/blogs/tourdiary/
(there was also a Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum - blogged by the Cap'n himself - but they pulled it after the blogosphere laughed them off the net)

6. Don't be gimmicky

http://lincolnfry.typepad.com/blog/

[Ed Deevy]

Debbie
Good luck with the book. The timing of your book could not be better!
In your other blog you recently made reference to "the fear of blogging." I believe this is a really important question for all who are interested in promoting blogging in the business/corporate environment. Recently, I posted some comments on this issue based on personal experience as an organizational psychologist. ">http://blogpublishingforleaders.blogspot.com/2005/07/getting-past-fear-of-blogging.html"> BlogPublishingforLeaders

[Paul Lanigan]

Hi Debbie, great idea. If you're looking for examples of non-US blogs. I'm based in ireland. Something that may become a trend is the personal branding o blogs. You can see from my blog that there is a definite look an feel to it. In fact the brand director who I worked with on this, and I wrote a blog on the branding process.See http://homepage.mac.com/gtannam/blog/

[Lakshmi Iyer]

Hi Debbie,
Don't know whether I should be saying it, but a thought just struck me.

I was just wondering whether you would want to explore some hypothetical cases - something like a what if situation.

Like what if - ebay had a blog?
How would that affect ebay's business? Would they have to work out a new business model? or do you think it would be business as usual?

With 150 million ebay users, if ebay had a blog, that would be like one powerful blogging revolution happening, don't you think so?

[Bob Julius Onggo]

To tell you the truth Debbie, that my corporate blog (http://daxell.blogspot.com) create more impressions and help me to close more sales.

This corporate blog focuses on the rental industry such as lcd projector, lcd big screen, tv plasma, laptop rental as well computer rental in just our country, Indonesia and Bali.

That's why in case you come to bali and will have a meeting, we can come to help you with variety meeting equipments for your rental. How's that Debbie?

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