If you haven’t already checked out the MindTouch Deki Wiki please do. It rocks. If you have then you already know it rocks and will be happy to take a moment to vote for our friends and BlogWorld Sponsors in the Best Widget or Application category.
If you haven’t already checked out the MindTouch Deki Wiki please do. It rocks. If you have then you already know it rocks and will be happy to take a moment to vote for our friends and BlogWorld Sponsors in the Best Widget or Application category.
The big tech topic yesterday was Blognation’s death. But by the end of the day, people were already talking about resurrecting it. The site certainly has some baggage to overcome but it is a great domain name and a great idea. Time will tell if a deal can be made to save Blognation.
Lijit is a search replacement for your blog. And it’s a good one at that. Not only does Lijit give you awesome search results it also allows you to see who around is talking about the same thing on their blogs. The more someone talks about a product the higher their relevance in other similar searches. This allows you to become an “expert” in the subject that you’re blogging about. Lijit also gives you the option of displaying the search results on your own site or they can host it for you. Either one you choose will provide you with a search result that is far greater than the standard WordPress search. Some of the other Lijit features include facebook integration, other social network integration so you can increase your network size and see a potential increase in readership. The great folks over at Lijit are constantly rolling out new features for you to add to the widget that’s on your blog. One of the best things about Lijit are the stats that they make available to you. They’re robust and quite useful. If you’ve been looking for a different kind of search for your blog then look no further than Lijit.
I completely understand why so many bloggers like Dave Taylor, Robert Scoble,
Which brings me back to what I keep telling my blogger friends over and over; most people, smart people including the people who make decisions at these large corporations have no idea what a blog is let alone how the blogosphere works. For as long as people like Dave Winer, Jason Calacanis, Robert Scoble, Shel Israel, and so many others have been talking about this media revolution the general public at large and the business community (including big media) are just starting to listen.
I take the formation of this group as a sign that these particular companies are finally ready to listen. They want to do it in a way that makes them feel comfortable and safe. That’s fine. I say the blogosphere should give this group a chance to succeed. Instead of mocking their formation, let’s offer advice and help them succeed. We all (bloggers, corporations, consumers and advertisers) will benefit from it if they do. If and when they fail there will be plenty of time to jump on the band wagon and pummel the man.
CORPORATE BLOGGERS LAUNCH THE “BLOG COUNCIL” ORGANIZATION
Top Executives from 12 Global Brands Form Private Community to Develop Best Practices, Measurement, and Idea-Sharing
CHICAGO, December 6, 2007 — The Blog Council, a professional community of top global brands dedicated to promoting best practices in corporate blogging, officially launched today. Founding members include the leading companies from a diverse range of business sectors: AccuQuote, Cisco Systems, The Coca-Cola Company, Dell, Gemstar-TV Guide, General Motors, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Nokia, SAP, and Wells Fargo.
The Blog Council exists as a forum for executives to meet one another in a private, vendor-free environment and share tactics, offer advice based on past experience, and develop standards-based best practices as a model for other corporate blogs.
The CEO of the organization is Andy Sernovitz; Founder and President Emeritus, of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. Andy literally wrote the book on Word of Mouth Marketing and has his own blog Damn I wish I’d have Thought of That.
This is a very good development for corporate bloggers, the companies they work for and the blogosphere in general. Corporate bloggers do have their own unique issues to deal with and do need a “vendor free” environment to discuss them. This will undoubtedly raise awareness in other large companies who haven’t yet figured out the blogosphere or fail to take it seriously. As for the blogosphere in general the formation of a group like adds another stamp of credibility that corporations, advertisers and the MSM will take note of.
Here is wishing the Blog Council many years of success.
**Update**
Several folks have posted opinions on this now. Techmeme is tracking the conversation here, here and here. Lionel Menchaca explains why Dell is involved:
It’s also not about control. For me at least, that has been decided—companies don’t control the message, customers do. I hope that Dell (and other companies in the council that have made the leap into digital media) can work together to move companies past the false notion that we are still in control. I’ve talked to folks from other large companies and that reality scares the heck out of them.
later he says:
Good corporate blogs force companies to look at things from a customer’s point of view. That’s why I want more large corporations to blog, and I want them to do it the right way.
That is exactly the kind of attitude corporations need to succeed in today’s new media world.
Duncan Riley doesn’t care much for the name but is willing to give the group a chance.
My friend Dave Taylor is much less optimistic:
My translation: “we’re all clueless, but don’t want anyone to realize just how unplugged our organizations have become from the world of “marketing 2.0″, so we created a club so our ignorance can be shielded from public eyes.” Alright, that’s probably a bit harsh, I admit, but having helped organize the terrific Blogworld Expo last month in Las Vegas, why weren’t these companies there?
ahhhem; Dave a couple of them were. Namely SAP, Cisco, and Microsoft.
More opinions, advice, and consternation at Read/WriteWeb, Mashable, and Scobleizer.
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