Blogging for business Gautam Ghosh The Imagence Partners

Agenda Overview of blogging and blogs Employment Scenario and branding through blogging Tomorrow’s workforce Web 2.0 Internet Usage trends in India The Pros and Cons of blogging Personal or Organizational – blogging Cases of organizations that blog

Overview of blogging and blogs

Employment Scenario and branding through blogging

Tomorrow’s workforce

Web 2.0

Internet Usage trends in India

The Pros and Cons of blogging

Personal or Organizational – blogging

Cases of organizations that blog

Tom Peters’ Blog

What is a blog/weblog? According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia A weblog (usually shortened to blog , but occasionally spelled web log) is a web-based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles (normally in reverse chronological order). Blogs can be hosted by dedicated blog hosting services , or they can be run using blog software on regular web hosting services . Like other media , blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries . A typical blog combines text, images , and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.

According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia

A weblog (usually shortened to blog , but occasionally spelled web log) is a web-based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles (normally in reverse chronological order).

Blogs can be hosted by dedicated blog hosting services , or they can be run using blog software on regular web hosting services .

Like other media , blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries . A typical blog combines text, images , and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.

What does it look like Figure from: Business Blogs: A Practical Guide

A blog post * Permalink: a type of URL referencing a specific information (news item, weblog post, etc.) which remains unchanged for a substantial amount of time. ** Trackback: allows a reader to see the URL(s) others have written other entries that reference the post. Figure from: Business Blogs: A Practical Guide

What’s the noise about blogs ?

Growing by leaps and bounds Technorati is now tracking more than 57 Million blogs. Today, the blogosphere is doubling in size approximately every 230 days. About 100,000 new weblogs were created each day, again down slightly quarter-over-quarter but probably due in part to spam fighting efforts. There is a strong correlation between the aging and post frequency of blogs and their authority and Technorati ranking. The globalization of the blogosphere continues. Our data appears to show both English and Spanish languages are a more universal blog language than the other two most dominant language, Japanese and Chinese, which seem to be more regionally localized. Coincident with a rise in blog posts about escalating Middle East tensions throughout the summer and fall, Farsi has moved into the top 10 languages of the blogosphere, indicating that blogging continues to play a critical role in debates about the important issues of our times.

Technorati is now tracking more than 57 Million blogs.

Today, the blogosphere is doubling in size approximately every 230 days.

About 100,000 new weblogs were created each day, again down slightly quarter-over-quarter but probably due in part to spam fighting efforts.

There is a strong correlation between the aging and post frequency of blogs and their authority and Technorati ranking.

The globalization of the blogosphere continues. Our data appears to show both English and Spanish languages are a more universal blog language than the other two most dominant language, Japanese and Chinese, which seem to be more regionally localized.

Coincident with a rise in blog posts about escalating Middle East tensions throughout the summer and fall, Farsi has moved into the top 10 languages of the blogosphere, indicating that blogging continues to play a critical role in debates about the important issues of our times.

Blogs are part of Web 2.0 What’s web 2.0 ? “ Individuals increasingly take cues from one another rather than from institutional sources like corporations, media outlets, religions, and political bodies. To thrive in an era of Social Computing, companies must abandon top-down management and communication tactics, weave communities into their products and services, use employees and partners as marketers , and become part of a living fabric of brand loyalists.” Forrester research

What’s web 2.0 ?

“ Individuals increasingly take cues from one another rather than from institutional sources like corporations, media outlets, religions, and political bodies. To thrive in an era of Social Computing, companies must abandon top-down management and communication tactics, weave communities into their products and services, use employees and partners as marketers , and become part of a living fabric of brand loyalists.”

Forrester research

What else is there in Web 2.0?

Blogging helps in Search Frequent posting Google indexing Permalinks Backlinking

Frequent posting

Google indexing

Permalinks

Backlinking

Why should organizations blog? “ We've moved from the information age to the participation age, and trust is the currency of the participation age. Companies need to speak with one voice and be authentic. Blogging allows you to speak out authentically on your own behalf, and in the long run people will recognize that. Do it consistently and they trust you.” Jonathan Schwartz, President and COO of Sun Microsystems ( http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan ) One key data point that stood out for me: 24% of Gen Yers read blogs , which is twice as often as the 12% of Gen Xers (ages 27-40) and three times the 7% of Young Boomers (ages 41-50) that read blogs. So skeptics of blogs should suspend their disbelief and look to at least one bell weather demographic to get an idea of how widespread blog readership can potentially grow in the future. Forrester Research

“ We've moved from the information age to the participation age, and trust is the currency of the participation age. Companies need to speak with one voice and be authentic. Blogging allows you to speak out authentically on your own behalf, and in the long run people will recognize that. Do it consistently and they trust you.”

Jonathan Schwartz, President and COO of Sun Microsystems ( http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan )

One key data point that stood out for me: 24% of Gen Yers read blogs , which is twice as often as the 12% of Gen Xers (ages 27-40) and three times the 7% of Young Boomers (ages 41-50) that read blogs. So skeptics of blogs should suspend their disbelief and look to at least one bell weather demographic to get an idea of how widespread blog readership can potentially grow in the future.

Forrester Research

Honeywell’s Career Blogs

The Indian scene From agencyfaqs ! - I-Cube,2006 a report on Internet in India is out. The survey was conducted by IAMAI and IMRB International. "It states that 32 per cent of the active users of the Internet in India rely on it as a primary source of information and research. In 2001, this figure was only 20 per cent. Active users - access the Internet at least once a month.“ The survey reveals that there are 37 million Internet users in India, 23 million of them active users. Ever user category is defined as someone who has used the Internet at least once This escalation in the number of active Internet users can be seen as a consequence of the new innovations that have taken place in the content space in recent times, in the form of online ticketing, weblogs, product information and preview sites 32% of the active internet users use search as their primary application The glamour of chat seems to be fading away even amongst the College Going segment, with Information search emerging as the 2nd most prominent reason for surfing Internet

From agencyfaqs ! - I-Cube,2006 a report on Internet in India is out. The survey was conducted by IAMAI and IMRB International.

"It states that 32 per cent of the active users of the Internet in India rely on it as a primary source of information and research. In 2001, this figure was only 20 per cent. Active users - access the Internet at least once a month.“

The survey reveals that there are 37 million Internet users in India, 23 million of them active users. Ever user category is defined as someone who has used the Internet at least once

This escalation in the number of active Internet users can be seen as a consequence of the new innovations that have taken place in the content space in recent times, in the form of online ticketing, weblogs, product information and preview sites

32% of the active internet users use search as their primary application

The glamour of chat seems to be fading away even amongst the College Going segment, with Information search emerging as the 2nd most prominent reason for surfing Internet

Internet usage in India

Usage patterns

Types of blogs Personal blogs Linkblogs Team blogs Blogs without commenting facility Private blogs Videoblogs

Personal blogs

Linkblogs

Team blogs

Blogs without commenting facility

Private blogs

Videoblogs

Internal Blogging Internal communication Project Management Community Building Knowledge Management Personal KM Learning Platform

Internal communication

Project Management

Community Building

Knowledge Management

Personal KM

Learning Platform

Cultural issues Blogging is the easy part Focus has to be in integrating blogging with other organizational systems of communication, knowledge management and information sharing Should there be an incentive? Integrating blogging into the lives of the ordinary employees

Blogging is the easy part

Focus has to be in integrating blogging with other organizational systems of communication, knowledge management and information sharing

Should there be an incentive?

Integrating blogging into the lives of the ordinary employees

Attributes of a blogger “Peripheral vision” Passionate about one’s subject Witty, Sense of Humor Guts to have a point of view Conversational Sensitive to others, thick skinned for criticism

“Peripheral vision”

Passionate about one’s subject

Witty, Sense of Humor

Guts to have a point of view

Conversational

Sensitive to others, thick skinned for criticism

The best way to start Advice from David Weinberger (quoted in Business Blogs: A Practical Guide) Try it out. What can it hurt? Write about what matters to you The more links the merrier Write quickly and hit the “post” button. It’s liberating I would add: Comment on others’ blogs Have faith in serendipity

Advice from David Weinberger (quoted in Business Blogs: A Practical Guide)

Try it out. What can it hurt?

Write about what matters to you

The more links the merrier

Write quickly and hit the “post” button. It’s liberating

I would add:

Comment on others’ blogs

Have faith in serendipity

Companies that blog Sun Microsoft Google GM Salesforce.com Recent entrant - Infosys Consultants Tom Peters and Forrester’s Charlene Li Indian organizations planning to get into (external) blogging JWT Motorola India Indian organizations already blogging Tata Interactive Systems Thoughtworks Infosys

Sun

Microsoft

Google

GM

Salesforce.com

Recent entrant - Infosys

Consultants

Tom Peters and Forrester’s Charlene Li

Indian organizations planning to get into (external) blogging

JWT

Motorola India

Indian organizations already blogging

Tata Interactive Systems

Thoughtworks

Infosys

Tracking Blog traffic

Community Blogs – Recruiting.com

Learning & OD

What makes a blog exceptional? A distinct “voice” Insights Opinions Controversial ? Links Conversation

A distinct “voice”

Insights

Opinions

Controversial ?

Links

Conversation

Sun’s CEO’s Blog

Charlene Li’s Blog

Bob Lutz’s Blog

What’s next? Wikis Better than blogs for knowledge creation Annotation facility Many to many communication With Google’s acquisition of JotSpot will become more mainstream Social Networking Orkut, Ryze, Linkedin

Wikis

Better than blogs for knowledge creation

Annotation facility

Many to many communication

With Google’s acquisition of JotSpot will become more mainstream

Social Networking

Orkut, Ryze, Linkedin

Conclusions Blogging is merely a tool Other organizational processes need to be tied in Cultural mindset is the single biggest challenge Blogging is not for everybody Done right it is a great communication medium It is generational in context – More Gen Yers read blogs than Gen Xers. Organizations need to get their focus of blogging right – why do they want to do it

Blogging is merely a tool

Other organizational processes need to be tied in

Cultural mindset is the single biggest challenge

Blogging is not for everybody

Done right it is a great communication medium

It is generational in context – More Gen Yers read blogs than Gen Xers.

Organizations need to get their focus of blogging right – why do they want to do it

Thanks !

Q&A Gautam Ghosh Phone: +91-98665-11236 Mail: [email_address] Firm: http://imagence.googlepages.com Comment at http://gauteg.blogspot.com Visit my webpage at http://gautam.ghosh.googlepages.com

Gautam Ghosh

Phone: +91-98665-11236

Mail: [email_address]

Firm: http://imagence.googlepages.com

Comment at http://gauteg.blogspot.com

Visit my webpage at http://gautam.ghosh.googlepages.com

References and Thanks to: The Business Blogs: A Practical Guide by Bill Ives and Amanda Watlington Technorati Forrester Research Shel Israel – Blogger, Author Dina Mehta – Blogger, Market Researcher

The Business Blogs: A Practical Guide by Bill Ives and Amanda Watlington

Technorati

Forrester Research

Shel Israel – Blogger, Author

Dina Mehta – Blogger, Market Researcher