Hi Alex

When I get a moment I have my own (ironically) blog post stored up to rant about this very topic. For the moment, though, 3 short points:

1. User-Generated Content
I remember the "3Cs" of the dotcom boom - content, commerce and community. Isn't 'UGC' just 'community' re-hashed? Why should it work now? Have all consumers suddely woken up and decided 'you know what, I suddenly feel like generating masses of content'.

Actually, there is an argument why "UGC" is now much more possible than it was in the dotcom days. I'll post more fully on this sometime but basically it's down to a mixture of 1. Broadband penetration 2. Changing Internet Usage 3. Better Tools/Services to enable UGC.

2. Blogs
Let's please not get obsessed again (dotcom style) by the particular medium, or tool, or functionality, and forget the actual message or content. In dotcom days we all needed "B2B exchanges" (except we didn't). Now we all need blogs?

It isn't "blogs" or "Forums" or "widgets" or whatever else that is important. It is whether a) you actually have anything interesting to say and b) whether your users / customers actually want to engage with you in this way and c) whether there is a sensible business case.

Companies talk about doing blogs, but I wonder - who is going to do your blog? Where is that time coming from? And, most importantly, if you've really got something interesting to talk about, how come you weren't doing it already through press releases, white papers, seminars, a forum etc. etc.? With the arrival of blogs, have you suddenly woken up interesting?

Blogs are great, and can work very well for any company in a range of ways, but it's disappointing when the medium/tool (i.e. blogs) is what 'we must do' rather than focusing on the message / content / business case / desired outcome and then asking if blogs are appropriate.

3. The Business Case
The easiest (hard) business case for blogs (or forums)? Search engine optimisation. Cheap (text-rich, often-updated, thematically-focused) content created by  willing customers / stakeholders = search engine fodder = traffic = sales / business value.

Oh and I guess I should plug our own Blogging for Business training event...

Regards

Ashley Friedlein
CEO
E-consultancy.com

Hi Alex

I agree with Ashley’s points on why this medium is different in 2006. Recent Ofcom stats reveal that there is a greater shift to online as a priority source of information and entertainment. My personal thoughts are that there is a sea change in thinking amongst consumers. Now so much more marketing savvy, they are disillusioned with the big brand and moving to a more ‘street’-based advocacy - with a greater propensity to use peer recommendations.

There is good business case for considering blogs and social media when getting close to your audience – the rewards are not just in monetising the blog or community, but in developing good brand communications with your customers. Customers who are now increasingly taking on board online opinions!

But be warned, it requires more than good writers and a bit of technology to create blogs and community. It requires a change in company culture to allow for transparency within the organisation. You need t be honest and open and be able to address difficult issues with personality and style. And do expect to grow a thick skin – as you open up conversations with consumers, don’t expect them all to be good ones!

And as Ashley says, don’t get too hung up on single tactics, the changes in consumer activity online allows companies to open up new avenues for dialogue that don’t always require you to build your own blog or social media site.

Kate

www.immediatefuture.co.uk