Playing Defense
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Posted By Matt Certo on 01/29 at 09:47 AM |
I'd hate to be running for office in the age of YouTube. First, there was John McCain taking a snooze during President Bush's State of the Union address last week. Now, it appears that Hillary Clinton's singing voice was caught on tape during the national anthem during a recent appearance. This is nothing new, of course. Howard Dean had his fair share of difficulties a few years ago for the same kind of thing. One could argue that his scream did irreparable damage to his political career.
Politicians need to think defense at all times when it comes to what they say and do. Putting out a hundred press releases (i.e. offense) doesn't get you a fraction of the impact that one of these does.
As the YouTube effect continues to proliferate, corporations will need to do more and more to follow suit.
A blog about refrigerators?
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Posted By Matt Certo on 09/12 at 01:58 PM |
Businesses still scratch their heads when thinking about how to build a blog for their business. It's often challenging to think about how to connect your product to the interests of consumers.
Let's say you make or sell refrigerators. You might say, "who would ever want to read a blog about refrigerators?" You might stop there and then dismiss this whole blogging thing altogether. Not if you're refrigerator-maker Sub-Zero.
This company, maker of ultra-cool refrigerators/freezers of all types (who can forget Owen Wilson bragging about his "twin Sub-Zs" in the movie Meet the Parents) decided not to make a blog about refrigerators (how many refrigerator enthusiasts do you know?). Instead, they recently created a blog about taking care of wine. I bet we all know several wine enthusiasts.
The blog is pretty cool--and sound from a marketing standpoint. It focuses on that which is of interest (wine) and then subtly touts that which protects that interest (their product). I think it's a great example of corporate creativity and corporate blogging that truly connects.
Ford Motor Bares its Soul
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Posted By Matt Certo on 09/09 at 05:48 PM |
I was told today about a new blog/community site launched by Ford Motor Company. The site is called Bold Moves. As many know, Ford has been struggling uphill in terms of sales, profitability (or lack thereof), and stock price. This kind of circumstance is very tough on an organization of this size and scale; trying to turn around a company this big is a monumental challenge.
This new site appears to be a site for employees, customers, analysts, and otherwise to truly communicate the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is compiling news feeds from different sites that are both positive and negative toward Ford. Most noteworthy, though, is the series of video documentaries which literally take you into company meetings, conference calls, and insider conversations.
What's so intriguing about this whole concept, as you'll notice, is that Ford is letting it all hang out. It's putting out very negative information about itself...negative analyst comments, negative press, and negative customer feedback. They're attempting to be very transparent--acknowledging the difficulties they face in an effort to truly turn around the company. You see small companies taking this path fairly often, but not so many in the corporate/publicly traded setting.
It should be interesting to see what kind of impact it has. If nothing else, I think it is a great device for the Ford employees to stay abreast of the changes/tactics so each one has an understanding of how that should apply to them as individuals.
All the news that's NOT fit to print...
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Posted By Matt Certo on 07/13 at 09:29 PM |
Many agree that blogging is really changing the face of journalism. One of the best things about journalists (especially columnists) who blog is that they now have an outlet to publish more content that isn't necessarily appropriate for their regular column. I subscribe to an ESPN column by Bill Simmons (The SportsGuy) and I get immediate notification of when he publishes a new column or news-bite. That alone is pretty convenient.
But take The Orlando Sentinel's 'Taking Names' column by Scott Maxwell. His blog gives him a place to talk about each day's column and to share stories about the column that a reader would find interesting. His recent coverage of 'Lynum-gate' has given readers a chance to see how the column has evolved...and to learn more than the column could ever hope to reveal.
Want to see a good example of this? Check out one sports columnist's case in point about Will Ferrell not always having a sense of humor!
Netflix RSS
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Posted By Matt Certo on 06/16 at 01:32 PM |
I've noticed recently that Netflix is using RSS feeds for a number of things. Most interestingly, the company is allowing customers to subscribe to new release announcements. It makes it easier for customers to stay active with their accounts--a sure issue for customer retention.
Many tend to assume that RSS is just for blogs. It's important to remember that it can be used for a number of different applications beyond just blogs.
Common Question
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Posted By Matt Certo on 06/15 at 03:48 PM |
I get a very common question (or variance thereof) when I talk to people--especially businesspeople--about blogs: 'why does anyone care about blogs'? Restated, 'why would anyone want to read about some stranger's vacation'? Restated again, 'why would anyone ever care enough to read a blog about someone's sick cat'?
My answer, in short, is another question: 'why is America obsessed with reality television'? Perhaps it's not an original parallel, but our society loves the trivial and true.
Somewhere in some broadcast board room years ago, some TV executive probably asked the question: 'why would anyone ever want to want to watch a group of college grads living together in a random city'? Or, 'why would anyone ever want to watch a group of strangers compete for an immunity idol on a deserted island'? I could go on but I won't!
Agree or disagree with the parallel?
Walking through the Blogosphere
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Posted By Matt Certo on 05/23 at 11:16 AM |
Having trouble keeping up with my RSS feed-reading lately, but coming across some really great posts...
- Liz Dunn from Technorati makes a good point about why you should read both mainstream news and the blogosphere.
- Rob talks about the first mover versus copiers
- Josh tells us about all things RSS at Yahoo!
Orlando Sentinel on Corporate Blogs
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Posted By Matt Certo on 04/10 at 04:10 PM |
The Orlando Sentinel had an article today on corporate blogs (big and small). It touched on our blog a bit and even featured a picture of a group of us pretending to work! :)
Central Florida / Sustainability
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Posted By Matt Certo on 04/06 at 03:13 PM |
A few of us from WebSolvers had the opportunity to attend today's 'Champions of Sustainability' community luncheon put on by our area's Healthy Communities Initiative and presented by our client, MSCW. The luncheon honored those persons and entities that are promoting smart growth and community development in our area. Honorees included Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, and the Central Florida Community Foundation. Kudos to MSCW for putting on such a great luncheon...one of the many things that group seems to do to help this area evolve in a responsible way!
Big/Small Company Blogging
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Posted By Matt Certo on 03/30 at 01:53 PM |
The St. Pete Times has a pretty interesting (and accurate) article about the different ways that small and large companies are approaching corporate blogging. Small companies seem to be embracing the medium faster than larger companies who seem to be taking more of a wait-and-see approach. It seems natural, though, in that larger companies have Sarbanes-Oxley issues, more bureaucracy to contend with, and--frankly--more to lose. The article describes attitudes in the business community which are consistent with what I see lately within small (more aggressive) and large (more hesitant) companies. Thanks to Josh, who is quoted in the article, for the tip.
Daily Maintenance
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Posted By Keith Ort on 01/11 at 01:19 PM |
Matt Cutts is a senior engineer over at Google working on the core product from Google, search. I read his blog nearly every day as you just can't get much more direct with Google than this. His blog is an attempt by Google to open up and be more communicative with webmasters. On Friday Matt posted up requesting feedback on how Google could improve their search results and become a more useful tool. He is looking for feedback on spam, quality of results, producs and features, services, and communication. His request doesn't need to be limited to just webmasters and SEO's. If you as a user would like a product or feature enhanced, let him know.
Don't SEO your blog, market it
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Posted By Keith Ort on 12/14 at 01:38 PM |
In my research to become a better SEO, I came across an article about the relationship between search engine optimization (SEO) and blogging. The article argues that SEO advice for a traditional Web site is useless. I agree. Search engines such as Google want quality, original content. A good blog will be updated regularly so the front page won’t maintain a post for long. After x amount of time, the post becomes archived. These archives are a lot more important. I regularly check server statistics to find out how visitors got to where they are, where visitors are going from there, and what they do on the Web site. What I’ve seen is that this blog’s archives are its primary source of traffic from searchers. For instance, an article I posted quite a couple of months back regarding old computers has received large amounts of traffic from 1 keyword in there. This was not my intent but it is a most welcome gift.
Blogs are not only for exposing frauds, updating friends on your vacation, or learning the latest about a band, they are for networking. Blogs are easy ways to gain new business without the drive to the local business breakfast (while the food is great). This moves blogs from falling into needing search engine optimization and into the world of search engine marketing (SEM).
Feedburner Data
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Posted By Matt Certo on 12/13 at 01:22 PM |
Feedburner has released some interesting data about feeds, RSS, and otherwise on its blog. The following image looks at the emergence of RSS and its use in media beyond blogs.
His Life As a Blogger
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Posted By Matt Certo on 12/12 at 03:49 PM |
Rich Karlgaard, Publisher of Forbes Magazine, has a nice article/column in this week's issue of Forbes Magazine. It's entitled 'My Life As a Blogger' and has a good number of simple conclusions about the impact of blogs on the business world. Among my favorites:
- Blogging is not overhyped
- Blogs do threaten mainstream media
- If blogs can take down Dan Rather, they are a truly considerable force
RSS - Thinking out Loud
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Posted By Matt Certo on 12/12 at 02:55 PM |
Many of you who read this blog are probably sick and tired of me talking about the ins and outs of RSS all the time. It really fascinates me, though...both because of the high potential and relatively low adoption rate. One thought I had this morning in the car: RSS is important with blogs moreso than online newspapers and magazines. With the latter there is an expectation of up-to-the-minute content freshness. As such, I know that I can go to an online newspaper at any time and see updated content. Not so with your typical blogs. Many of them go for days (or weeks) without any changes. My RSS-enabled reader keeps me from going to each URL all of the time. I'm afraid that if I subscribed to an online newspaper via RSS, I wouldn't be able to keep up with the flurry of content.
Blogging and MBAs
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Posted By Matt Certo on 12/06 at 10:59 AM |
I had the chance recently to give a talk to about 60 MBA students about the impact of blogs and social media upon the business world. Broad topic, I know, but I put together a few slides to try and provide some context for the discussion and shared my experiences and perspectives with the group. Among other items, here are a few of the topics we went over:
- Word-of-mouth marketing's evolution
- The demonstrated impact of blogs (i.e. Rathergate, Kryptonite, etc.)
- The tools of the trade (i.e. Technorati, RSS, etc.)
I did some 'show-of-hands' polling to ascertain how many of the students were involved with blogging on some level. I was fairly surprised to discover that most of the students had never heard of Technorati (let alone used it) or blog search engines. Naturally, none of them had begun to subscribe to RSS feeds or even read blogs on a regular basis.
It has gotten me to thinking that the whole message of blogs is a long way from being mainstream. It seems to have been relegated to self-proclaimed 'geeks' who are interested and intrigued by the technology and overall movement. There are exceptions, undoubtedly, but there is much distance yet to travel.
The ironic thing, though, is that people really nod their heads in agreement when you explain the 'impact' stories of Dell-Hell, Kryptonite, and others. I think that the potential for traction exists, but the educational divide seems too great. I'm wondering what it will take for the business world to really grab on en masse. Will Microsoft's inclusion of RSS in the next version of IE help? Will another cover story in a magazine bring it all to a boil? Will a newer, simpler platform for social media emerge to shift emphasis from blogging? Or is this just a technology whose time has yet to arrive?
I know that Technorati's numbers create a pretty compelling case (i.e. the time has already come) for the media. But when will social media be empasized in more MBA programs? When will more small business owners (not just the fortune 500s) dig into the movement?
I have been comparing this response to my interactions with executives who are in pretty much the same place. Blogs are a known entity, but only on a superficial level. I am encountering very few folks who are truly considering the impact of social media on their organization's future.
Sticking or Folding
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/23 at 08:49 AM |
Chris Garrett has a great post today regarding whether or not a blog is viable. I find it interesting (and probably true) that blogs have their own tipping points--junctures at which momentum really picks up due to a hot piece of news, particularly insightful post, or breaking story. He also summarizes a few metrics to be aware of if you're trying to figure out whether or not a blog is successful.
Google Launches Analytics
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/14 at 03:19 PM |
If you own or work for an analytics software company, you're probably having a bad day. Google just became your competitor. Read the post on Google's blog.
As I post this, I'm thinking of Robert Scoble's ongoing attempt to post 100 times to his blog without mentioning GYM (Google, Yahoo, or Microsoft).
Searching Sites or Blogs
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/11 at 04:00 PM |
We've talked before about search engines’ expanded options (Web sites, photos, news, and now blogs) but it's interesting to see the increasing popularity of blogs and how this will affect searches. While there are a lot of people who still ask "what exactly IS a... blog?" (their tone dripping in utter disgust that you would mention such an awful thing), there are many others who are quickly embracing the growing community of bloggers.
Before blogs, you might have been perfectly happy to do a search for something you're interested in using Google or Yahoo!'s indexed sites. But now, with the help of blogging communities, search engines' blog searches, and actual blog search engines such as Technorati, you can also look for other people's (real people's) thoughts, ideas, and even comment on a topic whether it be healthy lifestyle tips by Kathy, traveling ideas, even movie reviews.
The options online are truly endless but will one become more popular than the other or will it always be skewed to what people have been used to? And how do you get non-technical people to understand the word ‘blog’ without going into a huge discussion?
RSS Nomenclature
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/11 at 09:29 AM |
I'm wondering how Microsoft's IE7 (in beta) will promote and/or characterize RSS. The development page doesn't give any clues. I think Firefox's use of the term 'Live Bookmarks' to characterize RSS is great for non-geeks. I wonder if Microsoft will follow-suit. 'RSS Feeds' as a term still doesn't click with consumers. In my mind, 'Live Bookmarks' does more and could help stimulate momentum for RSS.
Measuring Readership
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/03 at 01:24 PM |
I had an interesting question today about how one measures the subscriber base of a blog. RSS is key, which I posted a bit about several weeks ago. Once it's enabled within a blog, a few indicators can help you get your arms around the numbers.
I happen to use Bloglines, which gives me the number of Bloglines users that happen to be subscribers to our blog. We also have an account over at Feedburner which gives us circulation figures on how many users (Bloglines, Yahoo, Google, etc.) are requesting our RSS feed on a regular basis. This number is an interesting one to watch grow as we post more and more.
By the way, if you're interested in subscribing to our blog, our link can be found here.
Rubel's Secret Sauce
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/01 at 11:02 AM |
Steve Rubel has an interesting post today about the 'secret sauce' of blogging. Steve's main point is that compelling, original content is the key ingredient in a corporate blog that has staying power. David Burn seems to agree. I hesitantly agree with his assertion but I feel like it's only part of the story.
There's the chicken and there's the egg. If content is one of those, visitors represent another. You can have all of the content in the world but it doesn't mean much without a steady, building stream of relevant eyeballs--presumably attached to those with budget authority.
When you're starting a blog from scratch, as we are, you have to create content while you participate in the conversation between the blogs of others. As an example, this post represents the latter moreso than the former. Participating in the ongoing conversation helps to build inbound links and cross paths with other like-minded bloggers. It's probably easier for Steve to make this statement given the fact that he has a steady stream of visitors/readers.
As a sidenote, I wholeheartedly agree that simply telling us about a product's 'great' attirbutes has the same numbing effect on consumers as a mild sedative. I regularly stress to clients that the focus of communication shouldn't be on subjective opinions (i.e. our service is great!), it should be on factual, substantiated points of differentiation (i.e. last year we received the top customer service rankings in our industry from XYZ publication).
Freakonomics
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/31 at 03:50 PM |
I read the book 'Freakonomics' several months ago and have been following the blog ever since. The book, written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, is a fascinating collection of anecdotes and data pointing to some very interesting conclusions which are often very unexpected.
The book's Web site and blog is even more impressive to me. Typically, readers who finish a book move on to the next one for knowledge or entertainment. This approach, though, allows the authors to take the concepts in the book and build a true following around them that lasts much longer. The authors blog about reader comments, current events (and the book's applicability), and new research interests that one of the authors is entertaining. The writing is more than entertaining. The blog (and its use of RSS) are allowing the publisher and authors to build a following (if not a fan base) that perfectly positions them for ancillary product sales or future book releases. This goes well beyond that of a typical book that offers a Web site with an author email address. I'm sure that other authors and publishers are watching this approach. I predict that many will (and should) emulate it in the not-so-distant future.
Rules of the Game
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/17 at 02:40 PM |
Josh has posted a very interesting run-down of Jakob Nielsen's dos and don'ts for blogs. I think that, like most cultural institutions, rules are only as good as the ways in which they're applied. I think that Jakob Nielsen, who many of you know as the leader in Web usability, has some great rules of thumb for Web developers. Sadly, though, the application of these rules often yields unattractive results. His own Web site, unfortunately, is a classic case.
In working with marketing and communication folks in the area of Web design for years, I know none who would have their Web sites looking this way! I think that the same could be said for blog design as well.
Trackbacks
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/12 at 05:41 PM |
We were talking internally today about how useful trackbacks can be but how terribly confusing they are. One URL to link to the post. Another URL is required to ping the targeted blog. By the time I have switched in and out of windows and cut and pasted both of the URLs, I've lost my stream of consciousness!
As I've said before, blogging needs to become easier and simpler for the masses.
If you're not sure what a trackback is, check out this post from Stephen Labuda. He does a good job of explaining the concept.
Yahoo Blog Search
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/11 at 09:29 AM |
There seems to be a whole lot of buzz about Yahoo's new blog search and it's integration with Yahoo News. A search on the term 'earthquake' (try it) gives the user a list of news headlines in the main content window AND a list of relevant blog search results in the right hand column.
Robert Scoble seems fairly unimpressed by the new tool, as does Steve Rubel, but I think this endeavor send an important signal: blog searches have become a true companion to mainstream media. This tool and layout seems to say that loud and clear.
Google Feedreader
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/07 at 04:44 PM |
BoingBoing has pointed out that Google has announced the release of a new feedreader. Perhaps they will make RSS subscriptions a bit simpler for the masses?
RSS Needs Help
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/07 at 12:23 PM |
I think that RSS (Really Simple Syndication) needs a makeover. I try to talk with people about RSS and it all seems so overwhelming to non-geeks. Understandably so. The blogging community throws a ton of jargon (feeds, rdf, atom, xml, etc.) at the business community and then seems to complain that business people 'don't get it.'
Aside from that, installing a newsreader (or even signing up for a Bloglines account) is no simple task for a non-tech. Once it's installed or established, subscribing to blogs is no day at the beach. It's simple to those of us who have gotten the hang of it. For those who haven't, the jury is still out on the concept of blogging.
It will be interesting to see if the blogging community is really able to establish some standards for all of this. I'm waiting to see what the likes of Microsoft, Technorati, and Feedburner will do to make this whole process simpler for the masses.
Looks and Smells Like a Blog...
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/05 at 03:28 PM |
...but it's not a blog. David Hornki makes an important distinction between a true blog and a representative one. If you visit the Juicy Fruit blog, you will notice an ongoing diary of two people simultaneously attached to a package of Juicy Fruit gum. The 'blog' chronicles a multi-week battle between the two individuals and uses humor to portray brand insistence to the nth degree.
Although the site is a regularly updated Web site with daily content, it's not a blog. Why not? First of all, the people portrayed are characters/actors, not real consumers. Second, there is no avenue for user commenting or trackbacks--no vehicle for the 'conversation' that is the blogosphere. Third, the content isn't real, it's presumably written by a group of creatives at an ad agency. That's not necessarily a bad thing. And this campaign isn't lacking in humor or cleverness. This just isn't a blog. And understanding what it's not should help marketers conceive what a blog should be.
Interested in seeing how a diary can really take genuine shape? Check out the travel journals at the Visit Pennsylvania tourism Web site. Real people, real stories, and comment facilitation.
Ancillary Blogs
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/04 at 09:57 AM |
Steve Rubel has an interesting post about a new Boeing blog about a particular topic: inflight productivity. "The sub-title for the blog is Tools, Tips, and Techniques for being Productive at 30,000 feet." The latest post on this blog has to do with wireless headphones for one's iPod.
I think that this type of blogging approach is an important one to note. Many companies have general 'corporate blogs' about company happenings, announcements, and events. But topic-oriented blogs like this one present an interesting opportunity for a corporation to provide insight and foster community around a specific area of interest. The benefits of brand association and positioning amidst a topic (i.e. Boeing=productivity) seem significant.
A couple of ideas:
- A real estate developer creating a neighborhood blog for a new condo project
- A lawn pest control company launching a how-to blog about lawn moving and watering
- A municipality starting a community forum blog about a controversial construction project
- A child-focused nonprofit crafting an educational blog about childhood obesity
- A land planning firm starting a diary-like blog about a river clean-up project
We're in the early stages of businesses thinking about blog use. Reminds me of the mid 90s when many would write 101 articles about the Web to marketers. My emphasis to marketers would be to think about blogs from the perspective of topic-centrality, not just as a vehicle for a CEO to share his/her thoughts with the world.
Convergence
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/03 at 02:24 PM |
Convergence--the notion that the Web and television will ultimately be one and the same--has long been talked about in the Web world. This New York Times article characterizes Yahoo's position on convergence and the strategic thinking of two of its leaders: Lloyd Braun and Terry Semel (CEO). Perhaps more interestingly, the article talks about Yahoo's 4-pronged competitive strategy:
Semel describes a strategy built on four pillars: First, there is search, of course, to fend off Google, which has become the fastest-growing Internet company around. Next comes community, as he calls the vast growth of content contributed by everyday users and semiprofessionals like bloggers. Third, there is the professionally created content that Braun oversees - made both by Yahoo and other media providers. And last is personalization technology to help users sort through vast choices to find what interests them.
I find the most intriguing element of this strategy to be the content piece. I think that the content (entertainment) piece is one where Yahoo currently surpasses Google. They seem to understand it more fully which come through in the site itself.
I am of the opinion that watching the moves of Yahoo and Google is a wise move for Web marketers. Most know that the two combine for the lion's share of the Web search market. Who better to both (a) understand the behavior of Web users and (b) shape the direction of content.
Blogging for Clarity
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/02 at 03:50 PM |
This post makes a great point regarding the notion that blogging helps one to clarify his/her thoughts. The exercise of writing itself forces a person to refine a stream of consciousness.
I might also extend this to the clarity that a group or team can get from writing and reacting to the posts of others. We've started to see this effect already within our organization. Knowing that my teammates are reading and commenting on my thinking (and vice versa) helps us to contextualize our day-to-day business activities and move forward in concert knowing what the other is thinking.
The pace of the workday doesn't seem to allow for the strategic interaction that success requires. The fact that blog interaction is asynchronous helps us all to find the time. Bill Gates has long talked about asynchronous communication, foretelling at length in his 1995 book The Road Ahead that the citizens of the future (now) would depend on it heavily. Whether you like him or not, he was right. What would today's world be without voice mail, email, and Tivo?
Blogmaster
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Posted By Matt Certo on 09/26 at 08:44 PM |
Noticed on last night's season premiere of NBC's The West Wing that the campaign staff of the Democratic Party in the show hired a 'blogmaster.' Not sure that this term sounds so dignified, but the concept is sound.
Makes me think of Howard Dean who was so successful in utilizing blogs for his 2004 campaign. Unfortunately for him, his rah-rah speech (which featured his patented scream) didn't generate the same sort of success!
Promoting RSS
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Posted By Matt Certo on 09/25 at 01:32 PM |
I continue to be intrigued by the lack of widespread 'push' that RSS has received in the business community, media, and otherwise. The blogging community seems to, certainly, have a keen awareness of what RSS is, how it works, and why it's important. But many of those in the business community--pr, advertising, and strategy folks alike--have yet to even hear about RSS, let alone stop and think about how it will impact their businesses.
I feel that this is really a failure of the technical community on a number of different fronts. For starters, the name 'RSS' is not a good one in my view. I think that non-technical people dismiss technical jargon in the form of unfamiliar alphabetical characters (i.e. HTML, FTP, etc.). Perhaps we should think of another way to characterize the technology?
It will be interesting to see how Microsoft chooses to characterize RSS when they release IE7. This version of the browser is supposed to have some pretty heavy RSS/blog integration.
If you're reading this and haven't received a good RSS education, I suggest that you do! Seth Godin does a good job of explaining it on his blog.
Waking Up to the Arrival of Business Blogs
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Posted By Matt Certo on 09/22 at 01:07 PM |