Blogs
People don't read blogs
Wrong. They do.
In the USA, 25% of consumers read blogs, with14% of them commenting on blogs. More than half (52%) of consumers in Japan read blogs in 2007 and 21% added comments.
The popularity of a blog grows exponentially, with authors of blogs commenting on others' blogs. People refer to different blogs and link to each other, creating a relationship between readers and bloggers.
Realistically, it can take about three months of consistent blogging to generate a reasonable amount of followers and create a credible relationship. Blogging is not a quick-fix solution to a failing industry; neither does it sell a bad product. You might make a few sales by promoting a product on your blog, but you will lose even more sales when people discover that they can't trust you - and they will let everyone know all about it on their blog.
Wordy thought for today:
A camel driver is known as a "sarwan".
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive content marketing and copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
A reason to blog
The Internet is fully integrated into society. If you are not blogging, or keeping an eye on your brand recognition online - then you need to read a book called "Groundswell" by Forester researcher Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.
Many companies protect their brand and their name by trying to control negative publicity. These days, trying to control what people say about your brand, has the opposite effect.
Here's a simple case-study that proves the power of the blogosphere:
"In April 2007, a blogger working at a Dunkin' Donuts supplier in South Korea posted an entry titled 'Truth About Dunkin' Donuts,' including accusations of food preparation in unsanitary conditions and a picture of a rusty boiler that allegedly contaminated Dunkin's doughnuts... Dunkin' Donuts was able to persuade the site hosting the blog to remove the item, but it couldn't stop the spread of the conversation in reactions from other bloggers. The entire episode was covered by the Korea Times, surely not the end point that Dunkin' was hoping for*."
Forester research identified a trend in 2006 that people were using internet tools to hook up with one another - which could be seen as threatening to companies when they realise they have little, if any, control online.
Dell computers have 40 staff members whose sole responsibilities are engaging with customers online. There's no way that new media is going to disappear - so find ways to engage with your clients today!
*Li, Charlene & Bernoff, J. 2008. Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Harvard Business Press: Boston.
Wordy thought for today:
Auto-antonyms are words which have two or more generally accepted meanings in the English language that directly or generally contradict each other.
- Example: anabasis means:
- (1) a military advance (2) a difficult and dangerous military retreat
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
Blog Comments
Most blogging applications will allow you to enable comments from your readers. Allowing readers to comment on your blog makes your site more interactive - but it may also mean that you are spending a lot of time rejecting spam.
In Internet geek-speak, there's a term "signal-to-noise ratio," which refers to the percentage of good feedback (signal) versus the percentage of unproductive comments (noise) you receive.
Although blogs are great for creating ongoing discussions between like-minded people, the management of comments from angry or bored people can be a nuisance. Here are some ways that you can manage comments on your blog:
- Enable comments, but insist on registration first. This way, you can block a certain user for making inappropriate comments.
- Try a CAPTCHA system (small box with misshapen letters) that helps with automated spamming systems and ensures that your contributers are human.
- Post a user agreement, which helps curb insulting posts and encourages civil conversations.
- Moderate your comments. It's probably still the most efficient way to control comments. Bear in mind that it is your blog, and nobody has the right to insist that they are published. You can choose to publish their comments - or not.
Wordy thought for today:
“There is probably no hell for authors in the next world — they suffer so much from critics and publishers in this.” - C. N. Bovee
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
Copyright Blogs and Articles
If you are a freelancer, everything you write is yours. It doesn't matter who paid for the work, or if it is content on your own website. You wrote it - it's yours.
Print vs Digital Rights
Find out how your work will be used. Ask the editor if your article will be published in print, or if it is to used on the internet.The rights are different, namely print rights and digital rights. Both rights are seperate and should be charged accordingly.
Sell Your Articles Again
If you are planning on selling your article elsewhere, you might want to consider not allowing web publication for a period of time. Plagiarism is rife on the internet.
Work for Hire
If you do specifically agree to "work for hire" and sign your rights away, make sure that you are paid VERY well. It is seldom worth handing over your copyright to an organisation.
Wordy thought for today:
"Triheens" are stockings without feet.
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
Ruddy's new blog
Our PM is with it! I've been following Kevin Rudd's Tweets and it's quite nice getting the odd update on what's happening in parliament.
In keeping with his new social media persona, Rudd has started a blog. The current focus is on climate change, with the PM asking for comments and feedback from Australians. They claim to moderate all posts within 24 working hours.
Even if you don't support Kevin Rudd, there's a fair bit of useful information about him, his wife and The Ministry available on his blog.
I think it's a step in the right direction. Good stuff PM Rudd. Let's see if it works.
Wordy thought for today:
The X in Xmas stands for the Greek letter chi - written X - and chi is the intial letter of the Greek word for Christ.
Spotted Wombat is a comprehensive copywriting service in Brisbane, Australia. We provide writing for brochures, newsletters, websites, articles, white papers, press or media releases, blogs or any other writing that enhances your business.
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