It’s been a while, so for new readers: a Roadmaps Round-up is a bunch of interesting stuff that I’ve found online that I’m not going to have time to blog about before it gets really old. <\/p>\n
Two interesting posts from Shel Holtz. A speech by Mary Hodder<\/a> on blog search engines and an item about an analysis of online newsrooms<\/a> done by IBM Spain<\/p>\n From BlogWrite for CEOs: two resource posts, one about corporate blogging<\/a> and the other blogging 101<\/a><\/p>\n From Desirable Roasted Coffee: Is your prose gender confused? <\/a>Just read it, I can’t begin to do it justice. Allan does a much better job. <\/p>\n From Diva Marketing, news of Chrysler’s "for media only blog" The Firehouse<\/a>. As I said in my comments to Toby’s post, doesn’t Chrysler PR already know how to engage the media. Why create an exclusive blog, in complete opposition to the spirit of blogs as conversation? Dumb move. As I said in my comment, I can hear the backfire from here.<\/p>\n Update:<\/strong><\/span> Both Shel Holtz on the most recent Hobson & Holtz Report<\/a> and Toby Bloomberg on the Diva Marketing blog<\/a> explain that media-only websites are common practice in the auto industry, so the Chrysler Firehouse blog is simply an extension of an existing practice. Still — I have to wonder why a blog? It seems unlikely that reporters are going to engage in quasi-public conversation with Chrysler that WILL be overheard by other journalists. They like exclusives too much. As a result, it seems to me that the blog will be more of a one-way communication from Chrysler. In which case — why a blog? Don’t they already have vehicles to reach out uni-directionally to the media? Like their media website… I also agree with Toby (and had posted in the comments of her previous post on the subject) that it is unwise and a bit silly to publicly promote a blog that will have a restricted, private registration. It’s like telling everyone you have a great club that they’ll want to join, and then turning them away at the door because they don’t "fit." Just invite the people who qualify and be done with it. And be clear that the blog is restricted to a certain membership and define it publicly, up front. End update.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n