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.

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

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Since corporate blogs are so popular, there are quite a few myths that go along with them. Before you even start your own blog, it is important to be able to separate fact from fiction so that you go into this process with the right expectations. You can really learn a lot from these myths, and you’ll know what you should not be doing on your blog.

1. Build it and they will automatically come.

This is completely untrue. You need to work to build your readership and it may take months. Unless you are already very popular and get a lot of daily traffic, you’re going to have to work hard to build up that audience. It is very easy to get discouraged with this process, but if you can stick with it, you’ll be greatly increasing your chances for a very popular blog.

2. Comments are a bad idea.

No one really wants to give their customers an open mic, especially if the company already has a history of customer service issues and a bad reputation. However, comments, when moderated, can lead to an open and frank discussion that is very useful for your business. In addition, it gives the impression that you really do want to hear from your readers. Commetning on blogs is a very big part of many blog reader’s lives and they will want this opportunity.

If you do have a problem with disgruntled customers, then comments may not be a good idea, especially if you let them go live without first moderating them. Try to weigh the pros and cons and then once you have made your decision stick with it. It is better to have never allowed comments, than to have allowed them and revoked them down the road. This will be perceived badly and will give the public the impression that you are trying to hide something.

The best answer is to set all comments to moderation, which means that you will get to read them and approve them before they go live. There may be a few grumblings about this, but overall, it is much safer than allowing comments to go live immediately after they are written.

3. It’s ok to have fun and be strange on your blog.

You still are representing your company, so you’ll need to find that balance between being engaging and being stupid. You don’t want your company to get dragged through the mud because of one ill thought out post. Make sure that you never post anything that could result in someone thinking less of you or your company. It’s fine to have fun with your blog, but never forget that it needs to be professional.

Blogging is tough, and many companies prefer to hire someone to help them through the entire process. A blog management company can assist you in determining the future path for your blog as well as with marketing and daily maintenance. They make it easy to have a successful corporate blog.

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Originally posted 2008-07-01 05:35:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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