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InfoWorld’s list of disruptive technologies for 2003 included open source,
self-service CRM, digital identity, and my personal favorite, Weblogs. How can
a simple, Web-based journal be disruptive?
Marketing
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For starters, it’s worth describing what a Weblog is. Basically, a Weblog or
“blog” is a personally created, online, time-stamped web page that includes the
thoughts, ideas, and comments of the “blogger.” The musings are usually brief,
but they are published frequently and consistently. People can subscribe to receive
the blog updates via e-mail. Often, the blogger is an expert on the subject he/she
is discussing.
At first glance, it doesn’t appear that blogs would be at all disruptive. So why
all the hype? If we look closely at the structure and intent of blogs as a communications
tool, we can see some powerful ideas at work.
Blogs are a direct, one-to-many vehicle for communicating ideas. They expand an
individual’s ability to communicate. They are fresh and timely. The blogger, in
order to maintain interest, must communicate often. Blogs enable a single person
to share ideas, insights, and useful knowledge with an audience. Thanks to the
Web, the audience can be a global one.
Whenever a new tool or process—such as e-mail— expands communications, the
effects are far-reaching and dramatic. Even though blogs have been around for
3-4 years, they could be the next big thing.
Blogs Are The “Real Voice”
Two important characteristics of blogs are that they are written by a person who
is knowledgeable and passionate about the topic, and that they are written in
a “real voice.” This is a cosmic shift from the marketing and public relations
materials that are the staple of business communications.
Often, when information goes through a formal marketing or PR process, the end
result is an attractive, expensive, stale, diluted document written in corporate
speak. This result is generally due to the processes that evolved to accommodate
the costs and standards of print technology, rather than to the incompetence or
malevolence of corporate communicators. The edge, the authenticity, and the voice
of the professional speaking to his fellow professionals is lost.
Blogs offer the human voice that can be loud, controversial, and even wacky. But
the realness of the blog inspires trust and piques people’s curiosity. A blog
can create a community and a dynamic discussion.
If you are a product manager working in the chemical products industry, chances
are that you would rather hear about the real experiences of other product managers
in your industry than read a glossy marketing piece put out by the marcom department.
Blogs fit this communications requirement perfectly.
Blogs Are Simple
Weblogs are easy for people to publish, read and respond to. They can foster a
community of like-minded individuals and be the catalyst for spirited discussions.
Blogs are an inherently proactive form of communications. Weblog participants
can subscribe to receive scheduled postings to the blog. Weblogs are inexpensive
to produce and they can include a variety of multimedia content (audio, video,
files, etc.) and hypertext links that add value to the discussion.
Blogs Empower The Individual
There are a host of tools on the Internet that make blogging a snap! Blogs empower
a single person to capitalize on the reach and ubiquity of the Web. And they don’t
require the investment or recurring costs of print technologies.
Blogs Empower The Enterprise
Blogs empower the knowledgeable people within a company to share their insights,
know-how, and expertise. The value to a corporation is that this knowledge can
be organized, distributed, and leveraged to increase the value of different product
and service offerings to the customer.
If a corporation is going to use a blog, however, it should understand that controlling
the content of the discussion is difficult. If you want an authentic exchange,
you have to be willing to accept the stone-throwing and critical comments that
often occur in a blog. This requires extending trust and giving up some of the
control a company would normally have when it publishes a press release or hosts
its own online forum, for example. The upside is that people will listen to a
real voice.
Adapting Blog Concepts To Your Newsletters
 You can adapt
blog technologies to your corporate electronic newsletters by taking advantage
of the underlying concepts. You can, for example:
- Publish a small amount of well-organized information frequently and regularly
- Include content from individuals who are knowledgeable and passionate about
their work
- Make it easy for your employees to communicate directly in their own, human
voice
- Respect the reader by making sure your e-newsletter provides value and that
he/she wants to receive it.
E-newsletters geared towards educating a marketplace, rather than those focused
on advertising or marketing, turn out to be particularly effective. E-newsletters
offer an affordable, direct way for the experts in a company to communicate with
an audience. This means that a product manager or an engineer can enhance the
flow of information and make it more accessible to those who want it.
Think of your channel and the information needs of your partners. Your company
has a wealth of information that would help them sell your products more effectively.
There is much insight within your partner community that could be leveraged throughout
the channel. And your technical experts and engineers have critical knowledge
and understanding that everyone could utilize.
What’s often missing is an easy way for the “know-how” keepers to capture their
knowledge, organize it, and deliver it. The best e-newsletters are written in
a real voice, not in corporate speak.
Two years ago, the book The Cluetrain Manifesto shook up the business community
(see http://www.cluetrain.com/book.html).
The revelation? That business is about humans. As Wall Street Journal columnist
Thomas Petzinger Jr. writes in the foreword: “I was dumbstruck. There in a few
pages, I read a startlingly concise summary of everything I’d seen in twenty-one
years as a reporter, editor, bureau chief and columnist for my newspaper. The
idea that business, at bottom, is fundamentally human. That engineering remains
second-rate without aesthetics. That natural, human conversation is the true language
of commerce. That corporations work best when the people on the inside have the
fullest contact possible with people on the outside.”
It turns out that the human “voice” is an underserved or ignored need. In a world
of 6+ billion inhabitants, the individual craves to speak and to be heard.
References
- Blogs
As Disruptive Tech: How Weblogs Are Flying Under The Radar Of The Content Management
Giants, By John Hiler, CEO, Webcrimson
- Making Room For
Disruptive And Emergent Technologies, By Hugh Blackmer, Science Librarian,
Washington & Lee University
- Blogs As Disruptive
Innovation: What A Brave New World Blogging Is Building!, by Dr. James V.
McGee, Professor, The Kellogg School Of Management,
- Weblogs At
Harvard Law, Bookmark List For ABCD Weblogs Meeting, By Dave Winer,
- What Makes
A Weblog A Weblog?, By Dave Winer
- The Cluetrain Manifesto, Perseus Books, ISBN: 0-7382-0244-4
About the Author:
Todd has been in the IT industry for over ten years. His experience includes support,
sales, product management, and marketing. Todd has a B.A. in mathematics from
Colorado College and is currently the Director of Communication Products for Gallatin
Technologies, Inc. He can be reached at tbrehe@gallatin.com.
http://www.gallatin.com Gallatin develops
software applications that help businesses improve how they communicate and collaborate
with their clients, partners, and employees.
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We focus on helping businesses improve how they communicate and collaborate using electronic media. We specialize in developing applications on the Lotus Notes & Domino platforms and we have extensive experience helping companies implement e-newsletter programs in their businesses.