‘I blog, therefore I navel gaze’ has been the philosophy ever since the first blogs launched. There’s been endless debate about what makes a blog – is it the software, the content, the links, the format? – and, consequently, who is and isn’t a bone fide ‘blogger’.
The latest chapter in this debate is whether or not a corporate blog should be written by contributors or an individual. The good corporate blog is a snapshot of the business and the minds that feed it; it should reflect what makes the company unique, its brand. If a corporate blog is written by one person their voice flavours the brand, but it gets more complicated when there are many contributors, each adding their own secret sauce to the corporate pudding. To be a successful blog, each contributor needs to add something different, but complimentary. I like to think that Compelling Stuff is a good example of this: reflecting the strengths of each of us and giving everyone a platform to share what is currently top of mind.
Of course, the other danger of giving employees a stage in front of your business’ key audience is that a superstar player can build their own brand and steal the show. Just ask Forrester.
However, let’s not end on a negative. The corporate blog remains, predominantly, a force for good in the world. For my money, the best guidelines on blogging are still those written in 2002 (almost the year dot in blog terms) by Rebecca Blood. Rebecca’s Pocket was the blog that really opened my eyes to the possibilities of the form.