CNN on Corporate Blogging

“As the size, scope and influence of weblogs continue to proliferate, business managers are faced with an increasingly important question: how to make your voice heard above the crowd?”

So says CNN’s “The Rise and Rise of Corporate Blogs“. The article doesn’t say anything new – it’s an overview of what blogs are, what blogs can do for companies, who should blog and finally gives some insight into CEO blogs.

They also cite and provide a link to the Intelliseek / Edelman (BlogPulse) study (PDF), which is well worth a read if you have the time.

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BrainReactions: smart entrepreneurship

Anand Chatpar was recently acknowledged by BusinessWeek as one of the top 5 entrepreneurs of 2005 (under the age of 25).

His company, BrainReactions, “helps companies innovate new products, services and marketing concepts by conducting brainstorming sessions with the most creative, imaginative and unconstrained college students.” See how it works here.

From the BusinessWeek special report:
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Social Software and Citizen Marketing

PVR was recently introduced into South Africa for the first time. MyPVR.co.za is a website built by an individual (Jason), completely dedicated to glorifying DStv’s new product. According to Jason, he does not get paid for the site or for his positive recommendations – his site is a labour of love. MyPVR.co.za is not the only site Jason has built around a brand – The Sad Life of a Penguin Pools Customer (www.supersmart.co.za) is the antithesis of MyPVR.co.za – it is a detailed, fact-supported account of Jason’s horrifying ordeal with the company.

Jason is a member of a fast-growing online community that is choosing social software (blogs, wiki’s, podcasts and RSS) to share its voice in the public domain. Before clients or customers (or employees) had only mainstream media (MSM) as an option if they had an important message to tell the world. Now anyone with an Internet connection can set up a free blog at Blogger.com for the entire world to see and interact with. It is reality Internet. Forget Isabel Jones’ Fair Deal, Carte Blanche and Special Assignment – citizen journalists are a force to be reckoned with.

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Toilet humour

Hat tip to Brad Feld for this gem. Actually, for both – the iLoo (or toiletMAC, or PowerPOO) on the left and now the RSStroom Reader (shown on the right).

This nifty idea from Engadget (which is obviously a bit of a hoot), might just work, according to the technically advanced mind that posted it. He reckons that “with wireless connectivity, RSS 2.0/Atom compatibility, and a browser based control panel, it should get the job done.”

So to speak.

For the hang of it

It’s a question I get asked often. Sure, the Web is evolving into a platform for ordinary people to share information with just about anyone who’ll look or listen, but why put information out there if you’re not making money off it? Why have a personal blog if people don’t pay to read it? Why put pics on Flickr for people to view and re-use at will, for free? Why podcast your valuable thoughts and insights if you’re not going to charge per download?

Seth Godin believes it has something to do with our new economy (ironic, seeing as economists are clueless as to this odd new “for free” trend). We call it the connection economy, in his recent post he refers to it as a hobby economy. Or at least this aspect of it. People have no qualms wearing their hearts on a digital sleeve, expecting nothing in return except for the satisfaction of knowing that it’s possible, and that someone, somewhere, experiences it.

From his post…

More and more people are spending more and more time (and money) on pursuits that have no pay off other than satisfaction.

It’s conceivable that money and love (in that order) are no longer the only things making the world go round.

More on presentations

Following up on my recent post Why your conference sucks, here is a great list of tips and hints for presenters. There are a couple of reasons I think the source is cool – I found it via Steve Rubel’s blog, illustrating how social software often digs up “gem” resources out of nowhere (i.e. I would have never found this web page if not for Steve’s blog). Secondly, it is pretty old – ten years old I think – which explains the reference to the overhead projector. And yet, these simple principles are so often overlooked by even the best presenters.

Hope you enjoy it…

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An interview with Jackie Huba

I recently got in touch with Jackie Huba of the Church of the Customer blog following a comment I made on the blog about her already infamous Apple Vlog. Jackie is an influential business speaker, trainer and writer. She recently co-wrote Creating Customer Evangelists (buy at Amazon.com) with Ben McConnell and received rave reviews from both the New York Times and Harvard Business School. Together, they pen regular columns for MarketingProfs.com and speak frequently at industry, association and company conferences. They also facilitate the creation of customer evangelism plans inside organizations.

In the course of our conversation I asked if she’d be willing to grant a short interview on her subject of expertise. She graciously accepted, and you can read it here:

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Blogging Seminar 2005 – last call

We’re holding a blogging seminar on the 10th November (this Thursday) at Hackle Brooke Estate, Hyde Park. There are still one or two available seats, so if you are keen to attend drop me an email. The cost is R 500 per person.

Dr. Graeme Codrington, Barrie Bramley and I will examine the business case for blogging, unpack the impact of social software on the way we work and cite real case studies and examples showing how blogging can be used practically as a marketing tool, R & D tool, collaborative workspace, customer feedback mechanism, etc.

Hope to see you there!

How tags drive traffic to your blog

Tagging is the practice of collaborative categorization using freely chosen keywords (Wikipedia). Tags are descriptors that individuals assign to Web “objects”. Think of a tag as a simple category name. People can categorize their posts, photos, and links with any tag that makes sense to them. These tags get collected in one space, with their assigned objects (posts, bookmarks, photo’s), and can be searched, shared and resourced.

Bloggers use tags to categorise their posts using tools like Fintan’s Technorati Tag Generator, which automatically generates the necessary HTML code for tags that are listed on Technorati’s tag page (Technorati is a blog search engine). You’ll need to follow the instructions on Technorati to get an account, claim your blog and insert code into your template in order to facilitate the transfer of information between you and the search engine. It is a lot easier than it sounds… Other Web users searching via Technorati’s tag facility for all blog posts on leadership, for example, will automatically pick up on your post or posts categorised with ‘leadership’.

Flickr is an web-based photo-sharing application that allows you to upload your personal pics, or any pic you find online, for free, and assign tags to them for easy reference and sharing.

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Squeezing the juice out of your Intellectual Capital

The ladies at CoachEzinesBlog, which by the way is an excellent resource if you are a writer or marketer, have published a nifty little article entitled “Write It Once, Use It Three Times“, containing some great tips and hints for getting the most out of your writing and communications. The original article was written by Milana Leshinsky.

Here is an excerpt from Milana’s ezine…
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Additions to Skype

It seems the recent acquisition of Skype by eBay is doing wonders for the free VoIP service.

You may not have heard of Skype yet. It’s a program, easily downloadable off the Net, that allows you to speak to anyone in the world using your computer speakers and microphone as if on a normal telephone call, over an ordinary Internet connection. The technical term for this kind of software is Voice Over Internet Protocol (you may have heard of it).

What makes Skype so cool?
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Re-imagining office culture

“The Perfect Office Culture…

…probably doesn’t exist, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to provide an environment where everyone feels trusted, empowered and a part of the team.”

So says Keith Robinson, the author of To-Done!, a regularly updated collection of thoughts, writings, tips, tricks and information on personal productivity, work/life balance and getting things done. He is also a contributor to Lifehacker – currently one of my favourite daily reads.

His recent post, titled Empowerment and Office Culture, suggests that if you work in an office culture absent of trust, you will not do your best work. Or, if you’re a leader, creating an office culture that lacks trust will stunt productivity. This is not a new statement, nor is it a complex concept, and yet Keith’s questions still ring true:
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How are you losing out?

A post with the title, Mind the Conversation Gap at Steve Rubel’s Micro Persuasion caught my eye today, not only because TomorrowToday.biz uses a framework with a similar title (see Mind the Gap), but because in the post he has supplied solid emperical backing to the school of thought that encourages companies to think long and hard about possible opportunities to connect with customers and stakeholders via blogs on the Web.

To generate the data, one needs to employ the services of blog trend tools (like IceRocket’s Blog Trend Tools), and the process can be a little cumbersome, but the results are staggering.

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Speedbumps for The Business Experiment

A little while back I posted about a new online, open source collaborative business startup called The Business Experiment (TBE).

To be totally honest, I am guilty of not really participating actively in the growth of the project so far (I did register early on in the startup process so theoretically should be contributing), having been busy trying to make a living out of cyberspace. I do receive periodic correspondence from the management team and try to interact wherever possible, but the truth is it’s hard to find time to commit to a peripheral idea like this one, regardless of how exciting or progressive it is. Real life gets in the way.

Check out the recent email I received from Rob, TBE’s founder. Clearly, he has concerns…

Hi Everyone,

There seems to be a problem at TBE. We put something up for a vote, and we get emails and forum posts about how we aren’t ready to vote on that issue yet. Nothing is getting done. The business plan has been “open” for weeks and it is going nowhere. This wisdom of crowds process for creating a business simply does not work. There is no accountability. We are experiencing the classic free rider problem where each individual lets everyone else do the work, and hopes that the crowd does good work and they get their cut of the next big thing.

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Blogging in the media

I’m sitting with the crew from SABC’s Business focus, doing a spot on corporate blogging.

Feel free to interact as part of the shoot!

The remarkable Big Moo

You have often heard me rave about Seth Godin here and on the TomorrowConnecting blog. Seth is a widely admired and respected marketing guru and web commentator (I would highly recommend a visit to his blog).

Seth recently launched The Big Moo, a book that encourages companies and organisations to “stop trying to be perfect and start being remarkable”. Extremely keen to get my hands on a copy, I was stoked when I heard that the lads at Jo’blog were handing out free advance uncorrected proofs. How did they get hold of free copies, you ask? Well, the answer to that question is just one of the many reasons why this is a remarkable project:

* Before it’s official release, Seth posted this appeal, which announced the book and asked readers of his blog to spread the word that he was making 10,000 galleys (advanced copies) available in packs of 50 to ANYONE who wanted them, with the understanding that they were not for resale and ideall to be shared. Within days he had responses from all over the globe. Jo’blog was just one of them. How’s that for remarkable marketing?

* Another remarkable feature of the book is the collection of authors who contributed essays and short stories to it. 33 leading business thinkers including Tom Peters, Malcolm Gladwell, Jackie Huba and Mark Cuban (to name a few) all contributed freely of their wisdom to compile an easy-to-read selection of meaningful, relevant and inspiring stories (all great resources if you do presentations). None of the essays credit the authors, so there are no preconceived expectations. You know who contributed to the whole, but not who the individual parts belong to.

* None of these contributors charged a fee, and no-one will make a profit from the sales. All proceeds go to three preselected charities. In fact, a school in Nepal has already been built thanks to the Big Moo and it’s authors.

I’ve finished the book and thought it was great. It’s really quick and simple to read, is current and relevant and has some nice new thinking thrown into it. I would highly recommend that you buy a few for your company – they’re not pricy at all.

You can order the book here.

Housekeeping

Please ignore this rather administrative post:

Technorati Profile

Sorry for the inconvenience!

No money in blogging?

Maybe not in Africa, but Reuter’s reports that Weblogs Inc., Jason Calacanis’ blog network, has been purchased by AOL. The sale marks the first major deal signed between a blog network and a mainstream media corporation.

The pricetag? USD25 million. Not bad going.

But why would AOL take interest in a blog network? Well, let’s take a closer look at Weblogs Inc. Jason Calcanis has networked more than 80 blogs in categories ranging from business and tech, to wellness, gaming, and more. The network caters for:

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Extreme Business

3 laptops. R 1,000. 3 days to create a sustainable business.

Four young SA entrepreneurs are taking business to the extreme.

From their press release:

How many times do we talk about the ‘great idea’ around the braai? How many times do we say ‘Sheez man, I thought of that idea first, and if only I had acted upon it!’? Mostly, we are limited by time. Our normal jobs or family lives prevent us from acting upon the ‘Eureka’ bright spark that we had in the shower, or in traffic, or lying in bed at three in morning. Well, what if time was not part of the equation?

Jon Hughes, Shane Dryden, Fred Roed and Andrew Smith are meeting at Kayos Casting (The River Club, Cape Town) between 6-8 October to bring life to the extreme business concept. They’re all Internet and marketing geeks who have a desire to walk the talk. On the first morning the team will get together for a meeting, put ideas on the table and choose a product that may be viable to sell on the internet. They will then start the business by formulating a strategy, creating the website, developing an e-commerce platform and making sales – all within 3 days.

The event will be filmed, and updates will be available on the internet at the Extreme Business site. Wanting to sponsor the event? Get involved by contacting the Extreme Business team go to the website.

All proceeds from the sponsorship of the event will go to Autism Western Cape – see www.autismwesterncape.org.za

Also of interest:
The Business Experiment – a global, open source Internet business start-up

http://www.ideate.co.za

http://www.extremebusiness.co.za

http://www.autismwesterncape.org.za

Tags: startup | business

The A – Z Of HyperNetworking In The Connection Economy

From developmental stages to mainstream technology

Companies around the world have already begun to experience the power of third-party Web sites (e.g. www.hellopeter.com) and any self-respecting marketing department commits staff to monitoring them. But that’s not enough anymore. Clients want to be involved and interact, not just comment and complain. In today’s Connection Economy, where information is being democratised, and stakeholders and clients alike are demanding more interaction and transparency, the use of a new range of HyperNetworking technologies is becoming imperative. Lets put some of the most important of these new business tools under the microscope.

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An update from TomorrowConnecting.biz

?ic@TomorrowConnecting.biz is a blog dedicated to understanding HyperNetworking Technologies (blogs, wikis, RSS, etc.) and their impact on society and business.

This week we’ll be running a Blogging 101 series – specifically designed to unpack (in plain English) what blogs are, how they work and why they are worth taking note of. Refer a friend, email a colleague, invite a family member. It will be a worthwhile exercise!

The Future Bank Blog gets it

I think BlogMaps – where blogs meet maps – are fantastic tools (thanks to FeedMap.net for the free service). Using BlogMap you can geo-code your blog using ordinary geographical coordinates, browse already geo-coded blogs and search for blogs. It is a great way to watch your local blog community growing, and to pick up on some like-minded local thinkers!

One of the finest “Neighblogs” I’ve discovered through my BlogMap is The Future Bank Blog – the brainchild of Herman Singh and Dave Glass.

The former recently posted an outstanding article highlighting his concerns about the future we are building for our children, in the light of the phenomenal advances we are witnessing in technology, connectivity and automation.

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The Rolling Whats!?

Back at Vodaworld’s website this morning in the hope of discovering that upgrading my wife’s mobile phone may lead to the free acquisition of a PSP or iPod nano or something, I was horrified to discover that Vodacom’s newest strategic partner is none other than Madame Tussaud’s Chamber of Horror’s (see image above).

No, seriously, it seems that Vodacom have linked up with none other than the Rolling Stones to promote audio and video streaming via Vodafone Live!. This “strategic move” can only be one of two things; really smart or spectacularly stupid.

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Microsoft, Mini-Microsoft and the Talent Exodus

The mileage our monolithic proprietary friend has gained out of its new human persona, attributable to the 2,000 or so registered Microsoft employee blogs, not to mention the now-famous Robert Scoble (of Scobleizer), is suddenly being tainted by a self-proclaimed Microsoft Deep Throat.

“Who da Punk”, as he refers to himself on his Blogger-hosted Mini-Microsoft site (ha ha – Blogger being Google’s free blog hosting service and all) is an anonymous Microsoft employee who “pretty much ‘tells all’ about too many meetings, sagging morale, the slow schedule of new releases, etc. (He) also mocks CEO Steve Ballmer’s relentlessly upbeat, non-answers to BW.” (See the recent BusinessWeek Ballmer interview).

Debbie Weil comments, “Interestingly, the anonymous blogger insists that he loves his juggernaut employer and only wants to make it a “lean, mean, efficient customer pleasing profit making machine.” But then Mini (he admits he’s a man; that’s the only identifying detail we get) agrees to meet with a BW reporter at a Starbucks in Seattle.”

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SAA flight crew don’t give a damn

My friends over at Jo’blog have posted an entry showing how customer-oriented SAA are, despite their recent bad press (see Graeme’s previous entry).

When are SAA going to learn that consumer-generated media holds weight? When are they going to start responding? Or are they simply too big to bother?

Companies simply cannot afford to sit back and ignore citizen journalism anymore. Rich…! shows us how a digital camera (or camera phone), a quick blog entry and a few links can turn into a PR nightmare.

Do you know who’s talking about your company?

MBA blogging community

BusinessWeek Online, who brought us Blogspotting and other fantastic business blogging resources, have added a new string to their blow.

The MBA blogging community (still in beta version) allows users (MBA students, alum or recruiters) to start their own blogs under the BusinessWeek umbrella, and according to the site users will be able to share their ‘journey’, exchange ideas, build a network, post photo’s, rate fellow bloggers in the network, and much more.

From the links and previews on the site it looks to be pretty popular already.

Just call me the Oracle

Business2Day Blog reports “Goodbye, Coins. Hello, Digicash“, which, in my humble opinion, adds weight to my predictions at RIP: Newspaper.

My genius aside, can you think of one good reason coins and notes should stay in circulation? (ok, besides the tooth fairy…)

What next? A mini-lawnmower?

First, there was the MACH3 – one of the 90’s biggest marketing successes, and the flagship of the Gillette range of men’s razors. During its first week on the market, the MACH3 was the No.1 selling razor in the U.S., gaining a 35% over it’s nearest rivals (read more here). Heck, even David Beckham uses one. Needless to say, the MACH3 fast became, and remains, a status symbol in the metrosexual man’s bathroom cabinet.

Then, quite recently, Schick (who have been living in the rather impressive shadow of Gillette for some time now) released their 4-blade Quattro razor, obviously wanting to raise the stakes. The 4-blade Quattro has struggled to even dent the now almost impenetrable brand status built up around the MACH3.

But our friends at Gillette can’t back down on a challenge…

Introducing the 5-blade (I kid you not) Gillette Fusion Razor. Thanks to Seth’s Blog and Business2Day Blog for the links.

I agree with B2Day – this can only be classified as a gimmick. Do five blades really cut closer than two? Or even one, for that matter? And, to be quiet honest, my wife doesn’t rub up to my cheek like the lady in the ads (nobody else wants to, either), so who’s going to know besides me anyway?

Funny thing is, knowing all this, my MACH3 is already starting to look inadequate…

However, the funniest part of it all comes thanks to an article (sensitive viewers may be disturbed) written at satirist’s paradise ‘The Onion’ on – get this – 11 Oct 2004. Coincidence?

Why lawyers shouldn’t be marketers

Credit to Jackie Huba of the Church of the Customer – blog for picking up on this link.

Shimmy off to legos.com to see the accompanying legal admonishment. You will automaticall be directed to the holiest of holies, www.lego.com (naturally).

Next thing they’ll be issuing “cease and desist” documentation with all their new products in the hope that lego-lovers the world over will convert. Oh, and I can’t wait for Mercedes-Benz to forbid it’s customers using the term “Merc” when referring to their shiny new automobile.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the value of a brand, and I respect the time, effort and money marketers pour into campaigns. But this is just way too anal for my liking.

Retail frenzy – odd promotion or sheer genius?

Even in Africa, Seth Godin is a marketing god. Each new post on his blog is a gem. I’ve wangled a copy of his new book, The Big Moo (check out Seth’s unconventional marketing campaign for the book here – brilliant) from the lads at Jo’blog, and will be reviewing it soon.

But I digress. Seth has posted a marvelous story from a recent shopping trip. The story tells how a just little bit of creative thinking, mystery and outright fear can turn ordinary shoppers into frenzied buyers…

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