This is a review of the eBay Developers Blog.

One of the things that set blogs apart from news listings is the ability to interact with the readers, and their ability to interact back. Even a corporate blog should have the capability for readers to post comments to posts. Not only does this give the reader a sense of working with company, but it is free customer information. This is a lesson which the eBay Developers Program blog failed to receive. Customers of eBay who visit the blog will find that there is no way to comment, making the blog nothing more than a news feed.

Stepping aside from that, examination of the visual qualities of the blog leaves one quite unimpressed. Visuals are limited to text, text, a screen shot or two, text, a clip art image, and text. While many blogs get away with just text, the text is typographically pleasing, not the browsers default by any measure. Examination of the site also fails to readily explain what exactly the site is trying to do.

Over all, the blog is of poor quality, especially given the resources eBay could have put behind the blog. There are many things specifically which merit review, so here is a breakdown of how the site rates in different fields.

Availability, 8 out of 10 –

Typing the blog into a Google search yields the page as the very first link, which is very good. A search for “eBay blog” will yield the blog several pages in, but this is due mainly to interference with their blog service for customers.

Posting Frequency, 6 out of 10 –

The eBay Developers Program blog posts in high numbers but there may be long pauses in between posts, leaving readers with a empty newsreader some days.

Relevance, 4 out of 10 –

It is very difficult to identify exactly whom the blog is trying to reach. The posts remain focused on technical developments of the eBay system, but because of the many voices behind the site, it is hard to figure out why the readers should care. Reading the blog makes it seem more for corporate propaganda than a blog where the company can give news to customers and get feedback in return.

Accuracy, 9 out of 10 –

It is difficult to verify, but so far the blog has remained technically accurate. A point is lost in the inability to verify everything, or comment for further information.

User Interaction, 0 out of 10 –

For the users and readers of the blog, there is no way to directly interact with the blogs writers. The posts lack any comment system, not even a digg button. And aside from author names, the blog offers no means to contact the authors aside from googling their names and hoping a result appears.

Overall, the eBay Developers Program Blog received 27 out of 50, or a whopping 54%. Given this failing grade, one would hope their act gets together and with the times.

Originally posted 2009-02-10 05:57:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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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 reading your corporate blog. Let’s take a look at just a few hints that will get you started.

1. Promote your blog on your own site and in company material.

Take yourself back to a few years ago when more companies started building an online presence. Back then, you had to put your URL on everything (and you still should be) to get noticed. The same is true to today. It is important to actively and heavily promote your corporate blog in any way that you can. Adding it to your site should only take a few minutes and you’ll be capitalizing on people that are already interested in your company.

2. Use social networking sites.

Submitting your blog posts to places such as Reddit.com and Digg.com are great ways to increase your traffic and discover new customers. Keep in mind however that generic posts that are not very interesting are probably not going to get voted up on to the front pages. Pay attention to the posts that make the front page on social networking sites and find a way to do something similar on your own blog. Top ten lists are always popular and there is usually a way that you can create one for your own business. Let’s say that you run a corporate blog for a shoe store. You could do a top ten list on common foot injuries and how they could be prevented. Get creative!

3. Schedule interviews or invite guest bloggers.

Let’s face it, unless you are an incredibly engaging person, your blog might get a little bit dull from time to time. Inviting a high profile blogger in your industry to guest post on your blog is a great way to get cross traffic. If they won’t do that, schedule an interview with them and post it on your blog. By including someone who is more popular, you’ll be leveraging their success and putting it to work for your site.

4. Use keywords.

Smart bloggers use keywords that will ensure that their blogs are discovered. Read up on search engine optimization and then put those same techniques to work on your blog. You’ll be ranked higher in search engines, your discoverability will go up and you’ll be promoting your company the easy way. SEO is not that difficult and its benefits are numerous. Find keywords that are popular and integrate them into your blog posts.

5. Comment on other blogs in your industry.

Whenever you leave a comment on a blog, include your own URL. Many people underestimate just how powerful a comment can be. Just make sure that the comment won’t count against you or your company!

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-09-02 05:08:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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