The Executive Blogger's Guide to Building a Nest of
Blogs, Wikis & RSS.

"People build brands as birds build nests, from scraps and straws we chance upon... People come to conclusions about brands as the result of an accountable number of different stimuli: many of which are way outside the control or even influence of the products owner." - Jeremy Bullmore, former chairman JWT London, and director of WPP

Welcome to the Blogosphere:
The End of Top-Down Talk

Changes in online technology have taken what was already a revolution in communication and now morphed the internet into a real-time forum wherein for the first time, participants are as powerful as traditional controllers of media and public relations messages. Blogs are unmasking improprieties, ending careers, and damaging brands. Yet Blogs are also building and strengthening brands.Understanding Blogs and their unique culture and voice is imperative; trying to exploit this new format without that understanding will surely end in a vitriolic stoning of your brand. But choosing to ignore Blogs will leave you at the mercy of the stone throwers as well.

While the advent of the Web spawned millions of new communicators and content providers around the world, the Web page format still followed the old broadcast model of one source beaming out to many. Granted, chat groups allowed for more of a conversation, but nothing compared to the noise being generated via Weblogs ("Blogs"). The creation of Blogs and Wikis has enabled a very different approach: the real-time open forum. Blogs may have started as online journals for computer geeks or angst-ridden teens, but now they have become a force to be reckoned with in the corporate and political spheres, many times acting as gatekeepers or even overturning the mainstream media world, ending powerful careers or killing product lines. And yet, understanding and harnessing these new technologies can serve as both an early warning system for what is being said about your company, and as a way for your company to lead the conversation in a manner that positions it as a trusted leader.



Contents

• Welcome to the Blogosphere: The End of Top-Down Talk
• What are Blogs?
• How Powerful Have Blogs Become?
• The Unique Characteristics of Blogs
• Business Blog Examples
• How To Use RSS Newsreaders
• Searching and Monitoring Blogs
• Launching Your Blog
• Corporate Policies and Blogging
• Blog Backfires
• Moblogs & Vblogs
• Wikis
• Conclusion:Your Game Plan

Download the full report (pdf)