During the birth of web commerce and the Internet frenzy of the late 90’s, through the turn of the century, before the bubble burst, everyone talked about the next killer apps. Killer apps, such as Microsoft Office, Adobe PageMaker, or Google, are forward leaps in technology that add huge efficiencies to our work lives. People clue in right away to their positive applications and don’t question their values. Today’s killer app very well could be the blog. Bloggers have brought multinational corporations to their knees (Dell Hell), caused investigations into Attorney General Gonzales’s hiring and firing practices of U.S. Attorneys and raised awareness on issues from the environment to the plight of the elephant. So why are so many people opposed to them?
I have many friends who have spent their careers in the marketing departments of large corporations, doing important work positioning important products. So it is a total surprise to me that they have absolutely no interest in reading blogs, learning about blogs or trying to write one. No matter how much I try to enlighten them with my newfound knowledge on the virtue of the blog, they still don’t want to hear about it. Is it because blogs are still too new and undefined?
Blogs might be newest form of communications in Web 2.0, but they’re clearly making their impact known. In Naked Conversations, I found the section that explained how Google’s search engines are so finely tuned into the blogosphere very compelling. Scoble and Israel state that “For now…the shortest, cheapest, fastest and easiest route to a prominent Google ranking is to blog often.” Wow. If blogging is the secret to search engine supremacy, why all the resistance?
There are plusses and minuses to the new killer app. On the plus side, blogging is fast, cheap, viral, linkable, etc. On the minus side are the seeming lack of traditional measures of authenticity or legitimacy. These are the reasons for blogging resistance cited by my friends who are opposed to blogging. There is also a widespread perception that blogging is all about one individual’s opinions or deep thoughts, and why would I or should I want to read such drivel?
First Person, Singular
Well blogging is all about one person’s thoughts and opinions, and maybe most importantly, passions. Naked Conversations discusses the world’s most famous Savile Row tailor, Horsefeather’s Restaurant and Sun Microsystems comeback from the verge of oblivion. These success stories epitomize the five success tips that Scoble and Israel lay down for the newbie blogger: Talk, and don’t just try to market yourself or your product. Post daily, or even more often—but be interesting! Write about things that you care about, are expert/experience in. Blogs are free to start, but cost time to nurture. And finally, they say, listen and learn!
I hope my marketing friends will give blogging another look. I’m convinced and hooked on the merits of blogging as a two-way communications tool, truly the next killer app.
1 response so far ↓
can1978 // June 23, 2007 at 10:29 pm |
Hi Jane,
I enjoy reading your posts each week. You pose the question of ‘why all the resistance to blogs’ when they yield high search engine results. I think the main answer to this question is not knowing how search engines and blogs work. I think many people and companies assume that in order to get a good search ranking, you have to become a sponsor because this is what is highlighted at the top of search engine pages. This ignorance will soon change.
In addition, blogs really go against so much of what we are taught about writing for publication and writing for a company. Scoble and Israel discuss this. Stating personal opinions is an anomaly in academia, research, and corporate America. Students and researchers fact find to support hypotheses. Employees are instructed to deliver a central message and protect their organization’s image. We’re encouraged to sheild our opinions, more than we’re encouraged to speak in our own voice. I’m new to blogging and when I sit down to write, I feel like I have to de-program myself to find a more relaxed, conversational tone. I’m not use to it. It’s a strange feeling.