Marketing Roadmaps

Blogging

Hot Topics: Full RSS feeds, how often to blog

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Shel Holtz on posting full RSS feeds. There has been a lot of back and forth on this for the past few weeks. Shel’s argument for full feeds pretty much sums up all the "pro" opinions I’ve read. Needless to say, I agree — if you are reading my blog in an RSS aggregator, you get a full feed. And if I’ve written long, as I sometimes do, there is a warning at the top of the post. My feelings aren’t hurt if you don’t have the time 🙂

Amy Gahran over at Contentious had two good posts about daily blogging (not) — I’m linking to the second as it has a link to the first within it. She makes some very good points about why it isn’t necessarily wise to post every day or multiple times in a day. Underlying thesis is that the quality of writing is more important than frequency of posting.

I agree. If you are writing original content, versus a link blog, it is far better to be good than to be often. If you can do both, more power to you. I aim to get one original post per week, and supplement with short posts (like this one).

Of course, in the end, it is YOUR blog, so do what you like 🙂

Roadmaps Roundup – June 9

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Sorry for the lack of posts in the last week. As some of my readers know, I am in the early stages of building a consulting practice. This week I have been beyond busy, between client deliverables and new client prospecting. Anyway, some interesting stuff for this week’s Roadmaps’ Roundup.

First, be sure to check out the Revenue Roundtable — Brian Carroll is lead poster this week and has some good stuff on lead gen and thought leadership.

Frederik over at CorporateBloggingBlog has a GREAT analysis of corporate blogging policies. After reading his analysis, I am more than ever convinced that smart companies will figure out how to give media/sensitivity training for their employees who blog, whether or not the blog is company sponsored. It is far easier to help people understand how to deal with media attention than it is to deal with the repercussions of an employee who got it wrong, irrespective of company policy.  I’m really thinking about this… more to come….

Tris Hussey links to tips for the great 10-minute podcast. This is key for corporate marketers. One hour shows won’t make a lot of sense in the corporate space; how to maximize this new form in short bursts will.

Excellent post from BusinessLogs on full posts in RSS feeds. Mike Rundle makes some excellent points about how people will, and should, use RSS feeds as gateways into blogs. I scan Bloglines every day to read the 300 or so blogs I monitor. If a post really interests me, I almost always clock over to the blog, even if there is a full feed. Either I want to leave a comment or trackback to the post, or I am curious if comments have been left… No matter what, if I had to use favorites/bookmarks to accomplish same, I would be far less informed.  And btw I scanned the full post in Bloglines, but read it fully on the blog.

Super post from Mike Manuel on "Joe Blogger" and the importance of understanding that it is as (more?) valuable to reach the blogger with 5 (or even 50) readers who REALLY believe in the source as it is to reach the "Big Blogger" who may have lots of readers but no more (or even less)  buying influence than Joe Blogger. This is critical: marketers need to remember: it is about reaching buyers, not reaching everybody.

Deep Throat, blogging tips, asking for the order (and lions and tigers and bears, oh my)

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As expected, I am really busy this week with the Revenue Roundtable and client work (hurrah), plus trying to jam everything in by COB Thursday as Friday is the Scottish Terrier Club of New England Specialty Show, and I will be there all day.

However, I do have a few things to share before I race off to prepare for a new prospect meeting tomorrow.

First, the big reveal of Deep Throat. I came of political age during Watergate. I think my first adult non-fiction book was All the President’s Men and I definitely remember going to see the movie on a hot summer day in whatever year it was. It is hard to believe that all that took place more than 30 years ago…. when it still colors so much of what we feel about politics, regardless of what we believe or how we vote.

For my part, I am glad that Mark Felt, and his family, didn’t wait until after his death. For whatever reason, and however it came about, I’m glad Felt will get the accolades due him while he lives. If his family benefits, that’s great. He did a courageous thing, whatever his personal reasons were, and he deserves to get the praise in life. He’ll certainly be criticized as well — I can see the revisionist wagons circling.

So often, we wait to honor great men and women until after their deaths. I for one am pleased when the subject of the praise actually gets to hear it themselves. I remember a few years ago, here in our town, the local chamber of commerce had an event to honor an elderly civic leader who had done a tremendous amount for the town and the area. Literally put us on the map.

As my husband and I were waiting in the long line to greet the man and his wife, it crossed my mind that the whole event was a bit like a wake, except in this case, the man who actually KNEW everybody was still alive, and could enjoy the love of his community. I thought it was wonderful, and wished that we as a society were better at thanking our elders in life, not just honoring them in death.

Wakes and funerals serve an important religious and grieving function. But they aren’t really for the person who has died. So… moral of the story: take time to thank and honor people today.

Thank you, Mr. Felt.

This story will be all over the blogosphere and the media today, tomorrow, the next day, but do read Dan Gillmor’s post, Deep Throat: America owes Gratitude.

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Now a few little housekeeping things, items that caught my interest over the last week. If I had more time, I’d write more about them, but the clock is ticking…..

Standing Out from the Blogging Crowd, an item on BusinessWeek’s Blogspotting, linked to tips for better blog writing from Robin Good.

Jim Logan on the importance of asking for the order.

Scottie Claiborne on links that drive search engine rankings (seen originally on Micro Persuasion). I need to get serious about promoting this blog … one of these days.

Roadmaps Round-up May 25th

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From MicroPersuasion, a link to tips for being a more productive blogger

From AdRants, news of a possible fake blog from Panera. For my part I truly don’t have much more energy to devote to this topic, at least for now. So, I stand by what I’ve said before: to be a fake corporate blog, it has to be sponsored by Panera, without the sponsorship being clearly indicated on the blog and without clear indication that the writer is a character, not a real person. If it isn’t sponsored by Panera, but written by someone else for some other purpose (as suggested on the blog’s comments) it still may be stupid and lame, but it isn’t fair to diss Panera for it.  The market will decide about character or fictional blogs — if they creatively meet the needs of their audience, like Manolo the Shoe Blogger or the Audi one for example, they thrive. And if they don’t, they’ll die.