Animations

Corporate Blogging
Sabrina I. Pacifici
Founder, Editor, Publisher, Web Manager
LLRX.com ( www.llrx.com ), the unique, free, independent webzine on legal research, resources, applications, and technology for librarians and legal professionals.
& Author of beSpacific ( www.bespacific.com )‏
Accurate, focused law and technology news, updated daily

Presentation Overview
Blog facts
Overall blog stats
Blogging applications
Blog features
Tracking blogs at large
Corporate blogging stats
Why blog
What to blog about
Got Content!
Blogging Essentials – benefits, people, time, cost
Elements/components of good blogs
Content creation and management
Marketing and branding, in-house and to the public
Blogs as knowledge management tools
Adjunct to portals, websites, intranets
Examples of focused, topical blogs
More reasons you should blog
Tech companies lead the way in corporate blogging
News and resources on corporate blogging

Facts about blogs

Parts of a blog – consider which elements to use

How many blogs are there? Millions and millions….

But how many are updated regularly?

“ A mere 2% of Adult Internet users maintain Web diaries or Web blogs…Content omnivores are among the heaviest overall users of the Internet.”

Blog Software – An overview of some options

Tracking Blogs

Stats on Corporate Bloggers: http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000390.html , October 17, 2004

Why Blog?
Inexpensive, non-techie, easy/quick to launch
Capture, annotate information
Indicate document relevancy, provide taxonomy, create info relationships
Make info visible that would otherwise be overlooked
Document management tool, from micro to macro (personal, departmental, organizational)‏
Excellent adjunct/alternative to email overload
Leverage your research and ability to disseminate it
Create and promote key relationships within and across departments, groups and services
Expand services to those across your organization
Increase productivity and info exchange through better time management and resource allocation
Seamless access via internal network
Read the website, receive RSS feeds or updates through email
Promote internal marketing for individual, group/dept. and/team initiatives, projects (long and short term)‏
Content is searchable, browsable, archived and users can comment
Alternative to vast, impenetrable file folders of emails
valuable database is created and expanded continuously
Inexpensive, practical KM system that does not require lots of $

Blogging Essentials – benefits, people, time, cost
Is a blog the app you should choose
Who are you trying to serve, and why
Needs assessment
Have a specific goal, review progress and assess value
Who is responsible for maintenance/updating
Blogs can be “back-office” or front and center
Determine scope…or niche
Establishing and populating the blog(s) with content
review resource options with key members of departments, practice groups or areas whom you wish to serve.
Obtain stakeholder buy-in
Demo the service, request suggestions, comments and input
Respond quickly by adapting the blog to incorporate additional data
narrow or expand content and specifications
Is one blog sufficient, or do you need multiple blogs?
Address usability, functionality, value for time spent
Stay on message…focus, focus, focus – readers have limited time
Verify, vet, validate content
choose your source materials very carefully

Blogs – can they replace an intranet?

From Dave Pollard's How to Save the World – The Knowledge Process, http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/

What to Blog About? Share the Knowledge
new or ongoing projects – close the loop
new services, or current ones that require better promotion/info dissemination
KM initiatives
Evaluation, design, implementation, roll-out, testing
Tasks – group/departmental
Organizational tool, management tool
Password database, subscription database, calendar of events
training
presentations
topical/subject specific research
practice development
clients
virtual reference, electronic services, cataloging
from topics specific or broad, it is up to you!

What Does Blogging Involve – Got Content!
Assignment: monitor, track, locate (through all avenues available…fee and free)… find needle in haystack and make it look easy!
validate, verify, analyze
review, edit, append info as req’d (PDF, Word docs, Excel, graphics, audio, video)‏
seek feedback, comments, contributions
publish, disseminate, update (the updating part is the real kicker)…commitment is key!
don’t start what you can’t continue – Feed the Blog!
time management is essential

Example of a blog used for development, collaboration, testing

Blogs facilitate organization of, and access to, relevant data by topics

Example of a very focused topical blog: GM Smallblock Engine Blog

Example of a topical blog with broader focus but still subject oriented – stays on message.

More Reasons Why You Should Blog
Identify and target your users
Provide channels of information
Choice/selection in data stream
From the general to the granular, your readers can choose if you offer them a range of content
Supplementing info/data/resources from websites, e-newsletters, paid subscription services, online databases
Aggregate your current publishing formats
Intranet
Portal
Websites
Handouts/brochures
Power Points
Emails
Newsletters
Branding/marketing vehicle for your library – good PR
Offers tangible, ongoing documentation of work product
Justify resources, staffing, additional services
Where is that report, news article, survey, training manual?
Promote, maximize internal collaboration, knowledge base management of resources, tasks and projects
Real time publishing
Direct, no intermediary req’d
You are the expert
Blogging will focus and expand upon your skills
Level the playing field…minimize barriers and increase visibility, communications, integration of resources

Think about products and services – informing and supporting users A Product Blog "By announcing a new product on a blog you are creating an invitation to a discussion about your product. On-line press releases don't allow readers to post comments to provide feedback or to ask questions. As more and more blog readers use newsreaders, people are very apt to grab an RSS feed for a blog they find interesting. That creates an opportunity for the blog to continue the discussion that starts with a new product announcement. “ http:// contentcentricblog . typepad .com/

Consider the options, value and flexibility offered by RSS Feeds
News feeds help you “get the word out” about updates to your blog
In-house or to the public
Offer your readers/community an alternative to email only, or as a supplement to it for those who “opt-in”
Review websites you use that offer feeds
To locate feeds, look for the orange icon or button that says RSS, XML, Syndicate or Atom.

Microsoft has over 800 employees blogging…take a look

Bloggers from Sun Microsystems

CEO’s Who Blog

News and Resources About Corporate Blogging
Blogging for Business – “With readers flocking to their Web postings, execs are finding blogs useful for plugging not just their products but their points of view.” Business Week, August 9, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/4mukc
Blogging With The Boss's Blessing – “More companies are helping employees to speak freely -- and bond with customers.” Business Week, June 28, 2004 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_26/b3889107.htm
Blogging behind the firewall – “InfoWorld’s internal Weblog started as an experiment. Already, it’s indispensable.” InfoWorld, May 24, 2004 http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/05/21/21OPconnection_1.html
The Corporate Blog is Catching On , New York Times, June 23, 2003 http://tinyurl.com/f10d
Google sees benefits in corporate blogging, “Company says internal blogs can be used to track meeting notes, share diagnostics information and code.” InfoWorld, November 18, 2004 http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/11/18/HNgooglecorpblog_1.html
HP quietly begins Web log experiment – “Hewlett-Packard Co. has become the latest IT vendor to dip its toes in the wild world of Web logging, or blogging.” IDG News Service, 23 Nov 2004, http://tinyurl.com/689r4
See beSpacific.com’s regular updates on blogging at http://www. bespacific .com/ mt /archives/cat_ blogs .html
Blogging policy examples – Charlene Li, http://forrester.typepad.com/charleneli/2004/11/blogging_policy.html

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