I just finished reading Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk With Customers by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, and it makes a powerful case for people in organizations to use blogging as an intentional tool.
[If you came to this post expecting something “spicy” from the post name, I apologize…]
Naked Conversations is THE book about organizational use of blogging. There are several other great sources about the general subject of blogging, but this book provides detailed arguments why organizations (concentrating on corporations, but applicable to non-profits as well, I think) should encourage their people to blog. The authors also point out a few exceptions — mainly companies that engage in illegal or deceptive practices.
You have to allow Scoble and Israel a few excessives in their blog-boosting — Scoble in particular is one of the world’s leading proponent of the medium through his primary blog, Scobleizer. (He writes about everything geeky, not just blogs.)
[I believe I have had some business contact with Scoble in the past — he was at one time editor of BasicPro Magazine (which morphed into Visual Basic Programmer’s Journal), and I wrote a review of the Realizer development platform for the magazine. I actually got paid for the article, unlike a few others I wrote for other publications of that era — but that’s another story for another time…]
If you work for an organization that doesn’t allow or encourage bloggers, your employer’s long-term future may be endangered, according to the authors. They see blogging as changing the way that organizations communicate with their stakeholders — not only being a superior method of spreading information, but providing a means of listening to those stakeholders. The attributes of blogging that make it so important to organizations, such as providing a “human” face, allowing rapid response to crises, providing feedback, and, importantly, RSS “publishing”, are detailed:
A blog is an impressive tool, but most people we talked with insisted it was more than just that. People called blogs “a new communications channel”, a “credible marketing conduit”, a “disrupter of the status quo”, a “mainstream media murderer”, and a “miracle,” among other terms.
We thought the most appropriate term for this bigger picture was “Conversational Marketing,” but we learned it is more than that. Blogging impacts marketing but also transcends it. Blogging is vital not just to outbound communications, but inbound as well. It is a crisis firefighter, a superior research aggregator, a tool for recruiting, a product builder, and customer service and support enhancement. It provides two-way executive access and facilitates employee relations, customer evangelism, and interaction between companies and their constituencies. We have not yet dreamed of some of the ways it will benefit companies in the future.
Traditionally, arts organizations (like our theatre) have been reluctant to show our stuff before we’re ready; we’re afraid that people won’t understand that works in progress are just that, and want reviews not to be made until Opening. To be quite honest about it, the concept of opening up an organization simultaneously excites me for its potential, but frightens me a little – I’m a little bit of a control freak, and allowing outsiders to watch the sausage being made makes me nervous. It’s just not tidy. But I think I’m ready to take a chance, given the possibilities available when more people buy into what we’re doing because they’re part of the process.
There are many resources on the subject of blogging available now, but many are oriented toward “personal” blogging — people from all walks of life who use the medium to comment on whatever strikes their fancy, and who often studiously avoid mention of where they work or issues involving them there. We have some great bloggers here in Knoxville — Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit is frequently cited as one of the top bloggers in the world; this UT Law School professor concentrates on politics and is frequently quoted and makes appearances on national television shows. You can follow the life of “Tish” on The Kat House, which is a personal blog. Her readers know a lot about her, including what she does for a living, but probably not where she works and what issues are affecting her employer. She also co-authors a blog on blogs, called BlogsWeLuv (we’re listed there!!!) and has recently started an instuctional site for bloggers called Blogging Gal.
But for those interested in seeing their businesses or organizations use the blogging medium effectively, start with Naked Conversations. The read Robert Scoble’s blog, and Shel’s blog, and from there pursue whatever resources you find that can help you. That’s how the internet works — one thing leads to another…
Technorati tags: naked conversations, robert scoble, shel israel, blogging, instapundit, tish, blogsweluv, blogging gal