1. BLOGGING FOR SMES
(subject matter experts)
A collaboration by
Duffy Fron @duffy_fron
Jason O’Donnell @acdntlpoet
Kelly Smith @kellypuffs
Image credit: Flickr user cambodia4kidsorg

2. Contents
 Why we blog
 What we blog
 Guidelines
 Tips and Tricks
 Call to Action
 Resources
Image Credit: (cc) Some rights reserved by Maria Reyes-McDavis

3. Why We Blog
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Blogging is a long-term commitment, but the pay-off is often huge. Engaging
your target audience via a blog can be beneficial in the following ways:
Extend your Reach
• Expand your network of
professional contacts
• Manage your own
professional reputation
Engage your
Connections
• Share your personal
knowledge and ideas on
thought leadership
• Directly communicate,
share, and collaborate with
your audience
Establish a unique
identity
• Differentiate yourself and
IBM from its competitors
• Increase visibility in search
engine results

4. Is Blogging Right for me?
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Blogging is an excellent way to share your knowledge, showcase your expertise, and engage
with your audience – but it only works if you make the necessary commitment to make it
successful. Here are a few questions to help you decide if blogging is right for you:
Do you like to write? You must be naturally willing to write frequent, meaningful
posts.
Are you comfortable
presenting your opinions, and
ideas?
You must be open to handling criticism or accepting diverse
opinions.
Are you willing to learn new
technologies?
You should familiarize yourself with popular new tools and
technologies and use them to enhance your blog.
Can you commit to blogging? You must read and, when appropriate, respond to
comments and questions posted on your blog.

5. What to Share
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YOUR INTEREST AND ENTHUSIASM
 Discuss trending topics frequently.
 Talk about recent events, collaborations, and projects.
 Share press releases, product announcements, and previews.
 Your opinions and passions.
 Anything that follows the Social Computing Guidelines.
Image Credit: Attribution Some rights reserved by Tall Chris
ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION
 Use an authentic, conversational tone.
 Share your thoughts on other interesting blog posts.
 Ask questions related to debates that your team is having
 Get to know your audience, discuss things they like, and
 respond to comments

6. Basic Etiquette
Image source:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrolibraryarchive/
• Be excellent to one another
• Respect copyright, fair use, and financial
disclosure laws
• Protect all confidential and proprietary
information
• Don’t cite or reference clients, partners, or
suppliers without their approval
• Know and understand the rules of engagement –
what is appropriate to share and what is not
• Admit and apologize for mistakes
• Be transparent about your identity
and affiliation to your company
• Don’t. Feed. The. Trolls.
REFERENCES:
IBM Social Computing Guidelines
IBM Secure Computing Guidelines
Business Conduct Guidelines

7. Anatomy of a great blog post
- Title: This is your one shot to pull readers in, give them
a reason to click through! Be descriptive & creative.
- Tags: connect similar content and series using tags. Use
words and tags that users are likely to search on.
- Content: Be provocative, add value, give your readers
something they don’t get elsewhere. This is the new
currency of social engagement. Posts don’t have to be
big. 150 words, or just 2-3 paragraphs can often be
more effective than 1k words.
- Embedded Links: Links to deeper content provide
context and create a more robust post.
- Rich visuals: Images add interest and improve clicks,
use them!
Image credit: Flickr user garryknight

8. Your First Blog Post
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Before you post your first entry, take the time to consider your approach so that your
blog best reflects who you are, what you’d like to communicate, and how your point-
of-view is unique from others blogging about similar topics.
Introduce yourself to your readers by telling them:
• Who you are and why you’re blogging
• What your expertise and affiliation is to your
company and what you plan to blog about
• How your viewpoint is unique, and how your
readers should get involved in the conversation

9. Creating Compelling Content
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Many people struggle with starting a blog because they aren’t sure what to write
about. Here are some general principles for writing compelling, relevant blog content:
Establish social intelligence
• Select topics that interest
you or in which you are an expert
• Discuss relevant, new
developments in your field
Engage your audience
• Create an intriguing blog name
and post titles
• Post and respond to questions
and comments to or from your
audience
Enhance your blog entries
• Embed your blogs with links to
rich media, like podcasts and
videos.
• Reference content and link to
posts by other bloggers

10. Listen, analyze and adjust
 Respond to your commenters.
 Observe the posts that resonate with your audience.
Which get the most views, comments, and/or shares?
 Analyze the data and draw conclusions… then…
 Do more of the same
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Image credit: (cc) Some rights reserved by dougbelshaw

11. Next Steps: YOUR action items!
 Choose a blogging platform
 Create an account
 Find your subject focus
 Start blogging
 Share your posts!
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/5683575389/

12. Resources
IBM Social Computing Guidelines http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html
Why Should You Blog? (SocialWayne) http://bit.ly/rdplSf
The invisible cost of ownership http://www.waywardcelt.com/socialbusiness/invisible-cost-of-ownership
CopyBlogger http://www.copyblogger.com/
Blogging platforms you may wish to try:
developerWorks https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/
WordPress http://wordpress.com
Blogger http://blogger.com
Tumblr http://tumblr.com

13. Photo Credits
• Thank you to the talented photographers who have
shared their photos on Flickr via Creative Commons
• Flickr’s Creative Commons pool is a great resource for
images for your social efforts: blog posts, presentations,
etc.
• Just be sure to abide by the terms of the license!
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http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

14. Connect with us!
Duffy Fron @duffy_fron
Jason O’Donnell @acdntlpoet
Kelly Smith @kellypuffs