Micro Persuasion

Scary RSS Item of the Day

I have read that one should fill their heads with positive thoughts before hitting the sack for the night. Well, thanks to USAToday.com that's out the window at least for tonight. After reading this item I think I better get blog insurance! Here's the story this RSS item links to.

Micro Persuasion Reader Mailbag

From time to time I like to pull out emails from my gmail box and answer them here in hopes that other folks will benefit from the discussion (please feel free to leave a comment on this post to add your voice). Most letters are edited to a readable length. If you email me your questions I will try best I can to get to them. It may take me awhile, but I always write back.

Before I dip into the mailbag I want to thank fellow Scoble fan Randy Charles Morin for fixing my domain issues and Shawn Zehnder Lea for volunteering to upgrade my photograph, which now has a more suitable background color. It's incredibly kind people like Randy and Shawn that make me appreciate every day I get to have a seat on board this big ship called the HMS Blogosphere as it sails out to sea. Now onto the mailbag...

Letter #1

Steve, I've read your blog for a long time but after reading this post, I felt compelled to write you....From a PR point of view, how do you tell people about this stuff? How do you convince them? - Bruno

Bruno, thanks for your note. It's hard to convince people that don't want to believe in the power of corporate blogging so in some cases I don't try. Blogging's not for everyone. However, those folks who are curious are like birds of a feather that like to flock together. Once they see companies who are successfully using blogs to advance their communication goals they learn alot and feel more comfortable applying them in their own businesses.

Letter #2

Hi Steve, Could you briefly share with my your view on accepting advertising on your blog? Why don't you do it? What would it take for you to do it? - Jim Kukral

Jim, when I started this blog back in April of last year I vowed never to accept advertising. I am not in this to make a buck, but to engage in a discussion about the democratization of media and evangelize its possibilities. However, in recent months a few companies have approached me about placing ads on my blog. I am weighing if I will run these campaigns. If I elect to go forward, I will donate all proceeds to a charity to-be-determined that supports medical research for children with brain tumors. Believe it or not, I am a brain tumor survivor going on 22 years now and I would like to give back. If others have thoughts here, I would be eager to hear them. I promise, however, that if I do run ads I will keep the advertising simple, relevant and clean.

Letter #3

Steve, I was reading your article about Blogs? I'm sorry I don't see or possibly don't understand the value. As a business person. To me - it looks like pretty little pictures you send out to friends and talk about whatever. Is there something I am missing from a business standpoint? How will a Blog help me gain more business? - James

James, I certainly understand your point of view. On the surface, blogs look no more important that personal home pages during the heyday of Homesite and GeoCities. The difference here is that blogs are social. They're not really Web sites. They're more like watering holes. Their structure and interconnected nature enables across-the-ether conversations that were not as easily achievable before blogs. The way they can help your business is by showcasing the thought leaders inside your organization. Remember, people buy products and services from people, not companies.

Letter #4

Blogs are a big waste of time. Sure, there are people who have nothing better to do with their lives than to surf the net and read other people's opinions. Those are the same people who during their school years used to hang around on corners, with nothing to do, bored out of their minds! I'd say to them: "Get a life!" - Emilio

Emilio, sure that's one point of view. But I think you're missing out on the power of shared thinking. These days most of my best client ideas are sparked by something I read in the blogs. So I actually feel the opposite is true. The greatest thinkers of our time are hanging out in the blogosphere. I hang with them to learn. Do me one favor. Find a blog on a topic that you like and stick with it. I bet you will learn something valuable.

---

Send letters via email to steverubel@gmail.com.

WeatherBug Blogs the Groundhog

The great folks at WeatherBug, one of my firm's longtime clients, are off to Punxsutawney for Groundhog Day and they are blogging their adventure. Be sure to subscribe to their feed. Good luck Stephanie and Mark!

MediaBistro Debuts Media Blogs

Frank Barnako reports that MediaBistro has launched five blogs about the media business. Three of the new blogs focus on the media. Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Spiers hinted to MarketWatch that the New York and Los Angeles editions could also edge into news and gossip about advertising and entertainment, as a way of testing the market for additional blogs. Two of the other new blogs cater to Web designers and journalists who use the Internet for research. No RSS feeds yet, but Spiers told me via IM they are pending.

How Microsoft Can Mobilize Biz Bloggers and Save the Tablet PC

In case you haven't heard, the Tablet PC computing platform has a problem. Despite putting in a great deal of traditional marketing elbow grease, Microsoft can't seem to make a go of it. Consider what Peter Rojas from Engadget wrote...

Anyone else notice that the Tablet PC has become sort of invisible lately? Hardly any new ones were announced at the big ol’ Consumer Electronics Show a few weeks ago (Bill Gates didn’t even hardly mention it during his big keynote there), sales have been mad sluggish (all 1.3% of all PCs sold are Tablet PCs, and it doesn’t help that they almost always cost more than a comparably-equipped laptop), and it’s almost like Microsoft has just lost interest in the whole thing.

This prompted Robert Scoble, one of the Tablet's biggest proponents to respond...

But, Engadget is right. Microsoft is BLOWING it big time by not making the Tablet PC a bigger deal.

Most normal people haven't seen a Tablet PC yet. How do I know that? Because everytime I'm on a plane people want to play with it. Same thing at the conference. People wanted a look....
 
~~ Snip ~~
 
Where's the TV ads? The marketing campaign?

Without even realizing it, Robert stepped right into his solution. But Scoble, your solution is not in flashy TV ads. C'mon, did you lose your Cluetrain hat at your big cheesy birthday bash? The solution here is, as you said, to show as many non-geek businesspeople as possible the power of the Tablet PC. Once folks lay eyes on it, they will be mesmerized (unless they already love Apple). I know I was. Unfortunately, we're standardized on Dell here, but if they ever come out with a Tablet PC I would be game.

What Microsoft needs to do here, Robert, is find non-geek influencers who will frequently evangelize the platform to others both offline and online. Microsoft should immediately identify 500 - 1000 influential business bloggers who are big thinkers and give them free Tablet PCs systems to use. Pick folks who travel, speak, write and appear in the press frequently - e.g. people from outside the technology community. Pick leaders who others flock to for advice. Scoble, please stop reading here and get David Allen, Pat Croce, Mark Cuban and Tom Peters Tablet PC systems ASAP. Do not pass go. They should be at the top of your list.

So Microsoft, if you want to save the Tablet PC please take the hundreds of thousands of dollars you might be earmarking for a new ad campaign and invest it in getting systems in the hands of non-geek bloggers/influencers who are leading business thinkers. Let them evangelize it offline and off. They will do a much better job of marketing Tablet PCs than an ad on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox ever could.

The Rise of Business Blogging

The following is an article that I wrote on business blogging for the February issue of The Advertiser - the official publication of the Association of National Advertisers. The ANA is a longtime client of CooperKatz and Co., my employer. This article, which covers the basics, may be reprinted/redistributed under the terms of my Creative Commons license.

The Rise of Business Blogging

By Steve Rubel, CooperKatz & Company

Despite its long history of innovation and track record for producing one product marketing success after another, by the turn of the century Microsoft had developed a negative reputation. In 1998 the Department of Justice initiated a protracted public relations and legal war that branded the company and its top brass as bullying monopolists. By the time the case was settled in late 2001, the Microsoft brand was beaten and battered. 

Three years after the case was settled, however, Microsoft has completed a sweeping organizational and image overhaul. It now is perceived as friendlier, more open and trustworthy. What’s also notable is that this transformation - led by CEO Steve Ballmer – took place while the company continued to face an increasing barrage of daily attacks from hackers, spyware, and viruses. 

Look beneath the surface, however, and you will find that Microsoft’s softening image was actually molded from the bottom up, by ordinary employees like Joshua Allen. In 2001 Allen, a program manager, signed on as the company’s first unofficial corporate employee weblogger. His personal site, called “Better Living Through Software,” chronicles life inside the Redmond, Washington software giant – warts and all.

Today, Microsoft has more than 1200 corporate bloggers – more than 10 times the number it had just last year. They have the company’s blessing to write about whatever they want, provided they adhere to some basic guidelines. As a result, virtually overnight the bloggers have become one of the company’s greatest marketing assets, generating incredible online and offline word of mouth. In fact, Microsoft has even began to embrace them as a company. The software giant now links to all its bloggers right on its corporate web site (http://www.microsoft.com/communities/blogs) and even launched a special sanctioned blog-like community for developers and partners called Channel 9 (http://channel9.msdn.com).

Most Microsoft bloggers write passionately and candidly about the company’s technology, hiring practices, marketing, culture, and more. They even discuss company and product strengths and weaknesses in vivid detail

Some of Microsoft’s more prolific bloggers, such as Robert Scoble (http://scoble.weblogs.com), attract thousands of readers daily, including competitors, customers, partners press, and analysts. Scoble’s blog has even turned him into a minor celebrity. He is often cited by many as the most authentic voice inside Microsoft. The technical evangelist has been invited to speak extensively at dozens of industry confabs and has been even profiled extensively in Newsweek, Time, Fortune and BusinessWeek.

Most importantly, however, Microsoft’s corporate blogging army has in a short time opened a transparent window onto the most financially successful company that ever existed. They have accomplished the impossible by putting a human face on a gigantic monolithic company – a giant with a bad rap. At the same time, they strengthened the company’s position as a thought leader and generated incalculable online word-of-mouth. Blogging can do the same for you – no matter your target audience or your goal. The key is to listen, learn, and then get started.

Unlike corporate web sites blogs directly reflect the individual personalities who pen them. That’s what made them such a success for Microsoft. Blogs – short for the words “web” and “log” – consist of short or long-form “posts” on a specific topic that are organized in chronological order. Most weblogs are written by one or more individuals, either as a hobby or in an official capacity with the blessing of their organization.

Weblog postings generally consist of short-form op-eds that link to and comment on industry issues, news and content found on other web sites and blogs. The result is that on any given day in the “blogosphere” you can easily find thousands of conversations, discussing everything from technology to politics, sports, music and even knitting.

What makes blogs unique is that they are easily discovered and social in nature. Weblogs facilitate transparent dialogue by incorporating tools that encourage readers to give feedback through comments and emails. In addition, since many blogs link to each other, they are often found engaging in an exchange across the Internet, just like two friends conversing on a street corner.

According to PubSub, a service that tracks weblogs, there are approximately eight million weblogs in the blogosphere. The number is doubling every few months as businesses increasingly discover weblogs’ potential for driving marketing ROI. Several CEOs have even taken up blogging. These include Mark Cuban of HDnet and Jonathan Schwartz of Sun Microsystems. 

Weblogs have exploded in part because they are extremely easy and cost-effective to launch. They also can generate significant ROI. Several tools, such as Google’s Blogger (http://www.blogger.com) service, are completely free. While others, such as TypePad (http://www.typepad.com), add more robust tools and cost less than $200 per year. What the services all share in common, however, is that they require virtually no technical expertise to set up and maintain. If you know how to use a browser and Hotmail, you can easily create blog. No HTML knowledge is necessary.

Blogging really first began to take off in 2002. However, in the last two years, it has moved more mainstream, even given rise to emerging companies like Gawker Media and Weblogs Inc. that are launching blog media networks for mainstream audiences. 

In 2004, many bloggers began to also compete in earnest with journalists for scoops – particularly in the political scene. In a landmark moment for blogging, last summer The Democratic National Committee opened up its national convention to a handful of influential political bloggers – many of whom have had no journalistic training. Over the summer it was the conservative bloggers who uncovered certain inaccuracies in Dan Rather’s report on Bush’s’ military service that later led CBS to admit it erred. Some have even speculated that the flap – called Rathergate – may have even lead to the anchor’s recent decision to retire.

In 2004 businesses and marketers also began to fully embrace blogging as a marketing tool. The New York Times Magazine even noted last December that “Blogs are known for their brutal honesty, independence of spirit and genuine emotional conviction. None of these attributes play much of a role in corporate advertising, of course, but they are values that corporate advertisers strive to imitate -- and, where possible, co-opt.”

Dozens of organizations including Stonyfield Farms, Yahoo, Maytag, and even Nike launched weblogs. Each of these blogs had different goals. In some cases- such as with the ANA’s own blogs (http://www.ana.net/blog) - the sites are written by corporate executives in an effort to advance industry issues. Others, such as GM’s blog, are building word of mouth among auto enthusiasts. Intuit’s blog showcases real-world customers using their products. Although each of these blogs is serving distinctly different audiences, they all share some things in common. They are authentic. They are written by real individuals who have a passion for their causes. They solicited feedback from readers. And they are conversational, engaging readers and even other bloggers in a dialogue.

By now you might be enthusiastic about getting started. But before you jump into the blogosphere, here are some initial steps to take. 

• Step One – Listen: The best way to become acquainted with the power of blogs is to read them and see what they’re talking about. Using tools like Google, PubSub and Feedster, you can find easily blogs that are already discussing your company/brand and its industry. Also be sure to check out sites like      BusinessBlogConsulting.com and Adrants.com, which include examples of blogs done right and wrong.

• Step Two – Reach Out: Once you have identified influential blogs, reach out to them by carefully posting comments on their sites. Let them know you’re listening. Some may invite you to sponsor their blog, which also can often offer a high ROI. Blogs can help your company build awareness among influencers who will talk      about you to others. Marqui, a telecommunications company, recently began      experimenting paying bloggers $800 per month if they mentioned their product. While the results aren’t known, blog advertising is certainly going to become a lot more prevalent in the years ahead.

• Step Three – Launch Your Own Blogs: Finally, once you feel you have a firm grasp on the medium, roll your own weblogs. This can range from everything from a CEO blog to a product team site and more. Figure out first who you’re trying to reach, who will have the most time and what people in your organization are willing to be the most transparent. 

While some might dismiss blogs as a fad, I can assure you they’re not going away. And right now they are one of the most cost effective tools you can use to reach influencers who will recommend you to others.

Who Owns the Content?

InformationWeek: People are starting Weblogs in growing numbers, but the owner of the content isn't always clear.

Gawker Media Launches Two New Blogs

Nick Denton's Gawker Media is launching two new blogs today- Gridskipper, dedicated to travel, and Lifehacker, which will examine software downloads and time-saving Web sites, Mediapost reports. Both blogs already have corporate marketers on board: Sony Electronics will sponsor Lifehacker, while Cheaptickets will likely sponsor Gridskipper. As I write this, both sites are password protected, but they will be live later today.

YPulse Blogger Profiled

Anastasia Goodstein, who writes the fantastic YPulse Gen Y marketing blog, is profiled today in the San Francisco Chronicle. Her blogging has helped her land her new job as the manager of audience participation at INdTV, the new television network for 18- to 34-year-olds started by former Vice President Al Gore. Congrats to Anastasia!

Official's Comments Hint the Gov't Can Pay Bloggers

The fallout over Ketchumgate continues. The New York Times reports that the Department of Health and Human Services said it had hired Michael McManus, who writes a weekly syndicated column and is director of a nonprofit group called Marriage Savers, as part of a PR campaign. Although he was a journalist, McManus was paid for his expertise rather than to write columns supporting administration policies.

As I said last week in response to Jay Rosen's criticism, I cover the intersection between blogs and PR. I stick to this topic and I rarely, if ever meander. So what do blogs have to do with this story? Well, Wade Horn, the assistant secretary for children and families for the Health and Human Services Department, said that it was "important to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest" and that the line between journalism, commentary and consulting had blurred...

"Thirty years ago, if you were a columnist, you were employed full time by a newspaper most likely, and it was very clear," he said. "With the explosion of media outfits today, there are a lot of people who wear a lot of hats. Where's the line? What if you have your own blog? Are you a journalist?"

So, this raises the question - if Mr. McManus had been a blogger and not a columnist would it be ok for HHS to pay him to blog for PR? By his comments McManus makes it sound like this might be ok in W's PR playbook. I wonder if this points to a future strategy. Jay, bubulah, you happy now? :-)

Three More Gmail Accounts

I just got three Gmail account invites. I am giving them out first come, first served to anyone who leaves a comment on this post. Check this post's comments of to see if I still have invites left.

Five Way$ to Make Money with Your Blog

The Washington Post breaks out five ways to make money with a weblog: Google Adsense, BlogAds, affiliate programs, tip jars and selling schwag. Of course, regulars here know I feel there are other ways.

The Editable Search Engine

Ross Mayfield points to a new search engine called Webs Biggest. What makes it unique is that users can add/edit search results. A natural next step would be to add tagging features as well so that users can create sets of search results and share them with fellow searchers of like mind.

Journalists Evangelize Blogs as PR People Doze Off

VC Jeff Nolan sat in on a panel discussion yesterday hosted by Burson-Marsteller with Business 2.0's Om Malik, "stand-alone journalist" Chris Nolan (a longtime friend o'Steve and no relation to Jeff), Reuters reporter Duncan Martell, and Fortune reporter Fred Vogelstein. The topic was how blogs are reshaping corporate communications. Just listen to what Jeff wrote...

What struck me about the discussion is this:

1) despite all of the press, very few of these communication people are actively reading blogs and RSS feeds. Even fewer are actually writing blogs... 2 hands went up when the question was asked

2) the tendency is to boil down entire groups of blogs to the top few that are widely read, which ignores the greater mass  

3) there's a fixation with blogs versus the media. The media business is just that, it's a business that is going to have to evolve in order to compete effectively in the future with electronic media. It's not an ideology and it's not going away.

My advice to professional marketing communication people is to get engaged with blogs now by reading and observing. Learn the etiquette and patterns before deciding to tackle strategy for dealing with blogs.
 
The creed of the professional communications executive over the years has been to control the message. Get over it because their is no chance you can do that in today's world. At best you can shape a message by guiding and honestly responding to blog content where appropriate.
 
Putting press releases out as blog material isn't going to work either. I know this won't surprise many people, but NOBODY READS PRESS RELEASES ANYMORE. In fact, in many of the companies we are invested in we don't bother putting out releases on PR Newswire anymore, they just go up on the website and maybe somebody searches on it, but even if they do it's not like a PR is going to be taken seriously.

Sure sounds like I could have written this post! Nevertheless, it really saddens me. Despite all the buzz about blogs and their tremendous potential, it seems like many PR professionals and marketers even in the Valley are fast asleep. What's worse, those who at least read blogs are trying to apply old-school metrics like the number of subscribers a blog has to what's really a new world of micro influence. Pulllease. Somebody get me a bigger megaphone!

New Communications Forum Wrap-Up

I unfortunately couldn't make it to the New Communications Forum out in Napa this week, but Neville Hobson has blogged/podcasted the entire conference on his site.

Everything You Want to Know About Tags and More

WSJ.com reporter Jeremy Wagstaff has interviewed several leading thinkers on tagging/Folksonomies on his blog - including Josh Schachter of del.icio.us. Interviews are posted here. Also, be sure to check out his column this week on the subject.

More PR Pros Join the Blogosphere

Tom Murphy highlights some new PR agency bloggers. Welcome all!

Podcasters Hunt for Conference Sponsor with eBay Auction

My down under blog buddies Cameron Reilly and Mick Stanic, who produce the popular G'Day World podcast, have launched an eBay auction to find a sponsor for the Special DEMO@15 Edition of their show. As of this writing the auction is up to $152 Australian dollars ($118 US dollars).

From February 13 - 15, 2005, Reilly will be attending the DEMO conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. While he’s there he will be trying to interview everyone he can. The show attracts over 5000 people from around the world downloading each show. Cam and Nick says of their audience...

We don’t know who they all are, but we do know that many of them are movers and shakers in the IT & business world. Bloggers. CEOs. CIOs. PR gurus. Software evangelists. Want to get your message out to them in an innovative way?

The funds raised will be used it to visit my hometown, New York, and King Scoble's Kingdom (formerly known as "Seattle"). Sounds like a big opportunity for one lucky sponsor!

Tekrati Catalogs Analyst Blogs

Tekrati, which covers tech industry analysts and firms, has launched a directory of analyst blogs. More info here.

Wikis Pose a Threat to Costly Media Directories

One tool that PR professionals rely on daily is the trusty media directory. The leading company in this space is Bacons Information, which in late 2003 acquired its largest competitor MediaMap. (PR Newswire also has a media directory, called MediAtlas.) While these databases have evolved nicely over the years - from dead-tree books to CDs to robust online tools - they risk becoming extinct unless they evolve fast into wikis (definition).

Media directories are a costly, yet necessary purchase for PR professionals. Annual subscriptions often run several thousand dollars depending on the number of licenses a company owns. These tools are essential because not only do they attempt to catalog the contact information of virtually every reporter, editor and producer under the sun, but they also provide rich insights into his/her beat and likes/dislikes. In addition, they index editorial calendar opportunities, which helps PR people pitch into stories that are already planned to run at some point in the future.

However, as any PR professional will attest, the major online media directories are far from perfect. Information is often inaccurate, updates are slow and they have struggled to keep up with the exploding universe of bloggers and podcasters, despite their best attempts. This is where we can help.

Media directories must evolve into wikis or they risk becoming extinct. They are spending a lot of money paying researchers. Why not also bring customers (e.g. PR people) into the fold and enable us to edit listings, share insights and knowledge via a wiki? In the future, PR professionals - and even consumers - will create their own media directories. For a glimpse of this today, check out this page on Wikipedia. They are starting to index journalists, including Jennifer 8. Lee of the New York Times. The paid services better evolve fast. Because in the near future as wikis become more popular and easier to set up, we may end up forming our own tool that enables us to share our knowledge. Just look at what Romanian PR pro Constantin Basturea is already doing with TheNewPR wiki and you will see what the potential is for open knowledge sharing in PR.