Although corporate blogging can be a powerful tool, there is a time when it can get pretty dicey. Without proper management, a blog can be a disaster that can end up ruining your corporate image. Let’s take a look at three examples of the good, bad and ugly in the world of corporate blogging.

The Good

A good corporate blog finds the balance between being personable and professional. This is a juggling act, but when it’s done right, the result is a successful blog that builds a solid relationship with the public. The best example of a good corporate blog is Sun Microsystems. They’ve allowed their employees as well as management to post blogs on anything under the sun and the result has been terrific in the blogging community. Readers feel connected with the company and they can now put faces with a big corporation. This company has long been a leader in the corporate blogging world and they are a very good example to emulate.

The Bad

Walmart is a terrific example of corporate blogging gone bad. They set up a blog that was supposed to be written by a couple that was traveling the US in an RV and staying at Walmarts. The only thing that was not mentioned was that Walmart was sponsoring this as a corporate blog – not as a personal endeavor as the creators originally claimed. The blogosphere soon found out and the result was scorn. This did not do Walmart’s image any favors and they quickly retired the blog in question and have not made any new overtures.

A lot can be learned from this debacle. Never try to masquerade a corporate blog as anything but a corporate blog. It will backfire.

The Ugly

Earthlink’s blog is perhaps the most notorious. The company already has customer service issues and a lot of ill will already. When they debuted the blog, they were opening themselves up to a whole new host of problems. First, they didn’t allow comments, then they did, then they didn’t and the cycle continued. The posts ended up addressing constant controversy instead of addressing any key issues for the company. They simply could not surmount these obstacles and the blog was eventually cancelled.

For this lesson – make a decision and stick to it. Otherwise you look wishy washy. If you have trouble with customer service, a blog may not be the best idea. Don’t open your company up to problems right off the bat if you are concerned that the blog will turn into a public bashing forum for your company. This was a bad decision on the part of Earthlink and one that they undoubtedly regretted. Instead of fixing their image, they ended up reinforcing bad publicity.

The best way to ensure that your corporate blog joins the ranks of The Good in blogging is to work with a management company that can help you navigate the treacherous waters of blogging. With their help, you can avoid falling into The Bad or The Ugly categories.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-08-08 05:16:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• 3 Topics to Not to Write About on a Corporate Blog So many advice columns, tips and books focus on what you should talk about on your corporate blog, but few ever go into things that you should not talk about. While it is important to focus on the positive, you also need to be aware of some common mistakes that......
• How to Pick a Name for Your Corporate Blog One of the things that many corporate blog owners do not consider is a name for their blog. Many make the mistake of simply using the format of “Company Name’s Blog.” This is great to a point, but you’ll be missing out on some great ways to promote your blog.......
• Making Sure Your Corporate Blog Works For You Not Against You One of the main problems facing corporate bloggers is that their posts can be taken the wrong way, or controversy can get stirred up. Since one blog post has the potential to make or break your company, it is very important to make sure that you are managing your blog......
• Projecting the Right Image of Your Company Through Your Corporate Blog Few people realize how powerful a blog can be when it comes to projecting an image to the public. Words have a power all their own and the wrong ones may sink your company’s reputation. Before you even start your own corporate blog it is very important to first come......
• 5 Tips on Corporate Blogging for Companies Right now, one of the best ways to reach out to your customer base and increase brand recognition is through the use of a corporate blog. However, many companies aren't sure where they should start and how they can take advantage of this trend. Here are some tips that make......

• Call Center Software - Does My Business Need It? Ten years ago most businesses would not have considered owning call center software for their business telephone system unless they had a true call center environment. The cost was absolutely prohibitive for any other application, but with recent technology advancements it's now time to ask, "Should I be using......
• If You Have a Blog, You've Got Leverage! Obtaining leverage isn't an easy thing to do. Whether you're using knowledge that someone may not want to be disclosed, using loaned funds to generate a higher ROI than your scheduled debt payments, or using social pressure to influence someone's opinion, it can be a tricky, yet highly effective,......
• SIP Print Addresses Market Needs in Record Time   By: Paula Bernier Donald C. Palmer doesn’t let any grass grow under his feet. When he sees an opportunity, he jumps at the chance. When he sees a need, he runs to meet it. This unflagging energy and enthusiasm may explain why Palmer always has something new cooking at......
• How Can a Small Consumer VoIP Provider Survive? There is a lot of buzz about VoIP Internet phone service. On the consumer side everyone is getting a lot of exposure to Vonage commercials as well as triple play offers from Cable Companies. From a technology standpoint, VoIP is now much more mature than in its nascent days when......
• Why Blog? I'll Tell You Why! The word "blog" is one of the most popular words on the internet today. This buzz word is one of the most popularly searched terms on the net because increasing numbers of people are trying to figure out what blogging is all about. A blog is a web log, or......

When you have a corporate blog, it is important to realize that it will be saying a lot about you. Whether or not it’s projecting a good image of your company is entirely up to you. Here are some tips to make sure that your blog says all the right things.

1. Pick a design that is professional and integrated to your overall site design.

You don’t want rainbows and lollipops for your theme if you are in a serious business. Likewise, if your business is rather whimsical in nature, a drab theme is a bad idea. Your graphics will speak louder than words, so make sure that your blog’s theme and design match your corporate image as closely as possible.

2. Avoid stiff and unfriendly prose.

One of the main reasons that companies start up a corporate blog is to initiate better discourse with the public and cast an image as being a consumer friendly company. If your blog’s posts are dry and stiff, you won’t be doing that, in fact, you’ll be doing the opposite. Make sure that the blogger you pick has the ability to write with engaging prose that is still professional. This can be tough, but picking the right blogger with the right voice means everything in this business.

3. Allow your readers to comment on your posts.

Having a one sided blog that does not allow reader interaction gives a very bad impression of your company. You’ll want to take that chance and allow your readers to take part in the discussion. If you don’t, you may be seen as unfriendly and too “corporate.” It is better to err on the side of being open to discourse than it is to try to squash it out. Use moderated comments if you are not comfortable with having comments go live as soon as they are written.

4. Have a little fun with your posts.

If your blog is all about your company and your products, it can start to feel like a very long and drawn out sales pitch. To break up this problem, have a few fun posts every week that really engage the reader. Use polls to make it more fun and to get your reader’s feedback. Don’t be afraid to let your hair down a little bit, but always try to stay professional.

5. Don’t turn your blog into a diary of a trainwreck.

If your company is going through a rough patch it can be tempting to turn your blog into a diary and defensive tool. This is not a good idea and will give the impression that you are about to crash and burn. Always keep the tone lively, and talk about your internal matters, but never drag company dirty laundry into the public eye. This simply cannot end well.

A blog management company can help you navigate these waters and create a blog that is engaging, professional and able to meet your goals.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-07-11 05:12:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Quick and Dirty Tips for Effective Corporate Blogging, pt 1 Depending on what type of content you are writing, and who you intend to reach out to with said content, there are different rules and tips that will apply to how you construct your content. Most of the rules that apply to writing a newsletter or an eZine are going......
• 3 Topics to Not to Write About on a Corporate Blog So many advice columns, tips and books focus on what you should talk about on your corporate blog, but few ever go into things that you should not talk about. While it is important to focus on the positive, you also need to be aware of some common mistakes that......
• 5 Tips on Corporate Blogging for Companies Right now, one of the best ways to reach out to your customer base and increase brand recognition is through the use of a corporate blog. However, many companies aren't sure where they should start and how they can take advantage of this trend. Here are some tips that make......
• Getting Into the Corporate Blogging Habit As with any task, developing effective habits can mean the difference between success and failure. Many first time corporate bloggers don’t take the time to develop good blogging habits and as a result, they don’t do as well as they should. Here are some tips to help you get into......
• Quick and Dirty Tips for Effective Corporate Blogging, pt 2 This is part two in a series about tips for good corporate blogging. We touched on three tips in the first part of this series - Now here are another handful of tips for your consideration. - 4 - Keep each piece of content short, simple and concise to get......

• Professional Answering Solutions For Small Businesses Businesses, whether small or large, require cost-effective and completely seamless professional answering solutions to communicate effectively with existing customers and connect with new clients. In the competitive world of business, innovative phone systems being offered today are making significant contributions towards improving business communications.Since they are affordable, phone systems......
• 26 Exciting Home-Based business ideas! [/caption] Everyone would love to work from home. In a troubled economy, many may even be forced to find a way to earn a living on their own terms. Here's a list of 26 great home business ideas to start. Tutoring. Tutoring is a good recession proof home based......
• Another 7 Steps for How to Get Traffic to Your Blog If you are trying to learn how to get traffic to your blog, then you will benefit from the tips in this series, which are designed to show you the necessary steps for how to get traffic to your blog. When you have the right tips, tricks and resources in......
• Better Blogging Strategies Not only is blogging profitable, blogging can be a great source of fun and networking with other people!  In order to assist you in your blogging efforts, here are several blogging strategies to help you become a better blogger...Starting Now! Be Informative You don't want to just create the impression......
• you are reading the work of the greatest writer in the world OK, that may be jumping the gun but humor me and read on. Writing is something almost everyone does, but seldom have I taken a step back and considered how it is best done. Almost everyone writes an occasional letter or email or report at work. I started to note......

If you’re ready to get into corporate blogging, you need to make sure that you are going in with the right attitude. There is a big difference between starting an okay blog and starting a stellar blog. You are in this to succeed, so you need to make sure that you are using the right techniques and mindset to accomplish this. Mediocrity is never a good thing, and in blogging, this is particularly true.

In order to make sure that your blog stands out from the competition, attracts readers and gets noticed, there are a few techniques that you can use.

1. Design is very important –a blog that is hard to read will not be read.

It is just that simple. While you need to match your blog’s design to that of your site, you also need to make sure that it can be easily read. This usually means a white overlay for the blog text using a black font. It may be visually boring to the design oriented, but it is easy to read. Less is more when it comes to designing a corporate blog. Make sure your logo is visible and that there is a strong visual link between your site and blog, but always make sure that the text is easy to read.

2. Use the right technology – there are many new tools out there that make blogging even easier.

These include social networking links as well as RSS feeds and management tools. The best blogs use a mix of these tools to help increase readership and get a better idea of how their blogs are doing. Corporate blogs can use these tools as well. You want to make it easy for your readers to enjoy your blog. This means going the extra mile to make sure that you do have an RSS feed, that it is easy for readers to share your posts and that they can easily find everything on your blog.

3. Comments should be encouraged – the whole point of a corporate blog is to shed that stiff corporate image and become personable.

Most blogging applications allow readers to leave comments. You should not turn this feature off. There are a few risks in allowing the general public to leave any sort of comment on your site, but you can head these off at the pass by instituting simple rules and sticking to them. For example, do not allow swearing or defamation in comments and remove any that break the rules. Use a moderation feature that will let you approve comments before they go live to avoid flame wars and embarrassing situations for your company.

These are just three simple ways that you can make your blog truly stellar. For extra help, it is a good idea to work with a company that specializes in managing corporate blogs. They can assist you in the creation of a blog that will be professional, fun and noticeable.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-08-12 05:26:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• 5 Tips to Get More People to Read Your Corporate Blog The whole point of creating a corporate blog is to be able to reach out to your customers, build up an audience and market your company. It takes time to build up an audience but there are many things that you can do to ensure that more people will start......
• How to Use Blog Networks to Promote Your Corporate Blog One of the biggest problems facing corporate bloggers is finding an audience. If you’re using your blog as a way to promote your company’s products, it is vital to quickly build up a strong readership. This is not an easy task, and even though paid promotion can be helpful, there......
• How to Stay Focused on Your Corporate Blog When you first start your corporate blog, it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement. After a few on target posts, you may find yourself wandering and it can be difficult to find that balance of posting interesting content and keeping with your original plan. Here are......
• How to Learn from Your Competitors to Build a Better Corporate Blog Sometimes it can be pretty tough to get inspiration for a new corporate blog. You may understand that you need one, but you’re not quite sure where to start. There’s an easy way that you can put together a plan for your own blog and it will only take a......
• Facilitating Conversation for Better Corporate Blogging Content One of the biggest facets of corporate blogging is the facilitation of conversation, but facilitating communication, community and conversation is not limited to boosting traffic or boosting sales, because it can also allow you to come up with new ideas for content. If you are looking for new ways to......

• Why Bloggers Fail To Make Money The popularity of blogging is such, that many people have been able to turn it into a full-time income. However, many bloggers fail in their attempts to make money blogging because of the difficulties they face. This isn’t because it’s not a viable way to make money, there are simply......
• Blog Plug-Ins to Get More Readers Wordpress specifically has a number of plug-ins for blogging that will allow you to attract more readers to your blog. Some of the best blog plug-ins for increasing traffic to come in three main categories: Social networking and bookmarking Posting across many different platforms RSS feed helpers BTE Related Websites:......
• Favorite Blog Wednesday - Here Comes The Sun. Number 14 in my weekly series "Favorite Blog Wednesday" is The Sun's Financial Diary . I have been reading his site for quite a while now, it has been a staple blog in my RSS news reader, and it never fails to deliver some great information. From frank discussions about......
• SEO Strategies For Web Businesses SEO Strategies For Web Businesses By James Pruitt One of the keys to running an effective website is SEO. There are many sites out there to tell you how to build the SEO for your business. However, you would be amazed at how many people just do not take the......
• Bookmarking Software - bookmarking demon discount Of course any automated social bookmarking tool is nothing without social bookmarking sites to bookmark to. Bookmarking Demon 5 comes with support for 29 main bookmarking sites and 100 sites overall. This includes some big ones like Digg, Mixx, Delicious, Blinklist and Propeller. BMD has always included Scuttle, Scuttle Plus......