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The Blogging Process
A blog includes four basic elements:
- the entries you post;
- links to your sources, to other blogs, and to resources for additional information;
- a way for visitors to your blog to comment on entries; and
- an archive of previously published entries arranged by year and month.
Two Kinds of Business Blogs
1. Official Company Blogs
- Official company blogs are generally produced by employees who work as a team. They blog on a company-hosted site as part of their jobs.
- The company Web site is for describing and promoting your products and services, but your blog has a completely different function. It gives people an opportunity, over time, to get to know and trust some of the people at your company.
2. Personal Company Blogs
- These blogs — produced by individuals who work at a company — are more personal. They show that a company is open, and that it supports and trusts the creative people who work there.
- This kind of blog is for writing about who you are, what you do, what excites you, what disappoints you, what your company is doing, and much more. Blog at work, at home, and while you’re on the road attending conferences, meeting with clients, or attending trade shows.
- If you are really being yourself, and if you write about what you know, then you will gradually earn a reputation for being credible. If your willingness to be a company blogger includes a commitment to excellence and to the truth, then you’re doing it right.
Blogging Software
A blog requires its own kind of software, which will be installed on your Web server — not on your personal computer. Allied Internet recommends WordPress, a blog publishing system (sometimes called a blog content management system). There is no licensing fee for using WordPress.
Like the other major blog publishing systems, WordPress is written in PHP and backed by a MySQL database. If you have your own Web server with MySQL, and if the server is ready for PHP, then you can download WordPress for use on your Web server.
Many medium and small businesses will want a hosting company to get them set up with WordPress. We can recommend a reliable hosting company that hosts WordPress.
How Blogging Works
- You write your for your blog — three or four times a week is great, but no less than twice a week. When there is news to report (new products or services, events, changes at the company), write about that as soon as possible. Make sure that you link to your sources and to sources which will give additional information.
- Readers respond to your posts with comments, questions, suggestions, and criticisms.
- Listen to your readers very carefully and make a determined effort to understand their point of view, especially if they are critical. Listening will be a very valuable learning experience for you, as will rethinking your own positions.
- Answer questions and respond to suggestions and concerns very respectfully. Don’t argue, even with people who are being unreasonable. You can deal with unreasonable people who comment more than once by blocking their I.P. address; Allied Internet can help with that and all other technical issues.
- If you can’t respond to a question immediately, say so and promise to get back with a response within 24 hours. Then get back with your response sooner than promised.
- Read other bloggers in your area of expertise, respond to what they say, write about their blogs, engage them in conversation. Read news sources relative to your area of competence. Realistically, you may have to actually schedule time to read news and other bloggers; it’s that important.
The Blogging Routine
Blogging works best if you make it part of your ordinary work routine. You don’t want it to be something you have to try to remember to do! Because it will be a new part of your routine, it may take some getting used to.
Make sure that reading, researching, and writing for your blog are scheduled, like any other important activity, in your PDA, Outlook Calendar, or whatever your use. If you have a shared company blog where more than one person is blogging, work out a schedule so that there’s something new every business day if possible.
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