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All the news that’s NOT fit to print…

mcerto — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 01:29:45 +0000

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!

Subscribing to Web Pages

mcerto — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 13:20:38 +0000

Many people still don’t know about RSS, a tool that lets one subscribe to updated Web pages or blogs. Brian offers some ideas on how to make RSS more mainstream. Seth Godin has some interesting comments about this. All of this was sparked by Steve Rubel’s list of “35 Ways You Can Use RSS Today.”

Netflix RSS

mcerto — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 17:32:02 +0000

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

mcerto — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 19:48:14 +0000

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?

Orlando Sentinel on Corporate Blogs

mcerto — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 20:10:37 +0000

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!

Big/Small Company Blogging

mcerto — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 17:53:32 +0000

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.

RSS – Thinking out Loud

mcerto — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 18:55:37 +0000

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.

The Death of Newspapers?

mcerto — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 12:59:37 +0000

Much has been said about the decline of print newspaper circulation lately. John Spiker has a few interesting thoughts as does David Deans on the growing popularity of newspapers’ online versions.
Many newspapers are experimenting with various models to monetize the shift from print to electronic. The Palm Beach Post is exploring the use of reporter blogs, seemingly blended with the paper’s existing online ad network (as opposed to Google AdWords). The paper calls the effort “The Blog Squad.” I wonder if this effort will result in an incremental revenue thrust for the paper. Time will tell.

Web Smart 50/BusinessWeek

mcerto — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 17:14:07 +0000

When I first started experimenting with Web pages in the mid 1990s, most of the educational literature for business folks was fairly 101 in nature. Most of it was purely philosophical with very little to offer in terms of case studies or any sort of results-oriented framework. Most books, magazines, and commericals (think IBM) were pie-in-the-sky and somewhere-over-the-rainbow wrapped in a big bow. More interestingly, most of the hype centered around marketing and sales (i.e. put a widget online and sell a trillion of them overnight). Along the way, the messages of hard work, strategy, and non-marketing benefits were lost. Times have changed.
Dear old Dad turned me onto a great article (full text) from BusinessWeek this week. The article is called ‘The Web Smart 50′ and it does a great job of showing how 50 organizations are using the Internet for true business results that are definitive and measurable. A few of my favorites are:

Paramount Pictures using a handpicked selection of blogs to promote the film Hustle & Flow
Audi’s use of a staged car theft to promote the new A3
NYC Comptroller’s office using an online bid system to settle personal injury claims

I encourage you to take a look at the article and start thinking about how the Web can become a more integral part of your company’s efforts.