"I particularly like Vince's take on a blogger's being more like a community manager than a writer (although I'd argue that the best bloggers are both)."

I agree. You have to have interesting content AND a sense of community on your blog, in order for it to be successful.

Ann, I love the way you demonstrate your points in your post.

For some reason I am thinking about the organisational side of things at the moment ... so when it comes to company blogs there must be a form of internal engagement. How do the informational and communication needs of an internal audience map to an external blog? How can that be activated in a meaningful way? And what comes next?

Oh, and what happens if the boss joins in?

Ann,

Good stuff!

Gavin,

Can't we launch a blog on the company's Intranet so employees have a safe and secure place to share their thoughts and ideas? Do we want employees linked to an external blog, where an outside audience can easily misinterpret or misunderstand the "inside baseball" language and references made by employees?

Lewis

I'd also suggest including photos and illustrations in each post. I'm MUCH MORE drawn to posts with pictures (of just about anything) than those don't have any. Probably because it gives my visual cortex something else to respond to. That's why I try to practice this in my own blog.

I'd even put a picture in this comment if I could.

Thanks for the comments, Mack, Gavin, Lewis and Roger.

Roger: Great idea. I'm sure you were drawn to my Strongman Dude, yes? (lol)

To Gavin's point-- I agree with Lewis. Probably best to separate the two functions, depending on the goals of each.

I'd add that if you are posting to an external audience, don't assume "it won't be interesting" because some of the most mundane things to us end up being very interesting to other folks.

Please can you help me (with tips and guides) make my blog site an interesting one and profitable at that. Thanks.

Tony.

just wanted you to know that I will post a link to your site absolutely free on my site if you'd like. Just go to my blog, www.spreadyourbiz.com
or
send me an email
spreadyourbiz@yahoo.com

thanks for your great posts!

These are all excellent points, but one of the most critical pieces is to keep the content fresh. This ain't all that easy and requires a real commitmet. In the 'good old days',it always seemed like a good idea to have a quarterly customer newsletter - which almost always fell about after a couple of issues because it was too darn hard to come up with content. Same goes for business blogging: if you do for it, you REALLY NEED TO GO FOR IT. Starting a blog is an explicit commitment to your readers/customers.

Don't forget the most important rule: Keep it real. (Bad Exhibit A: Edelman/WalMart). Don't spin, don't sell, be honest and be open to other opinions.

Tim: True 'nuf.

Anthony: Looks like you have a very colorful blog as it is... As for profitable, well...that's a bit trickier, certainly. But depending on your definition of "profit," it'll come with experience and readership. Eventually. We hope. : )

Maureen: You speak the truth, of course. Blogging is a commitment...to your customers, to your mission, and to yourself. It's the real deal...and you can't fake your enthusiasm.

Which leads me to Rob's point...precisely! Hey -- it's nice to see you 'round the Daily Fix, Rob!

All great points, Ann. Nice post!

Maureen: Regarding your [great] point on having fresh content, it helps to write about personal accounts and things that go on around you. There's nothing as fresh as writing about something that's just happened or you've experienced recently, especially when you tie into a specific point/message/idea/etc. I try to do this when I can. It allows you to develop fresh content on-the-fly, while giving readers that transparent "I'm a human, too" feel. I love learning, reading and writing about marketing, social media, etc., but I love even more when I can write about how those things tied into my daily experiences.

Ann- you're too funny. True'dat.

Maureen/ Daniel- Exactly my point. I get some of the best responses to the stuff I post about having a bad/ boring day or just the random rambling stuff. Mixing the goofy with the serious creates that human feel that people can more easily relate to. Most of us are not able to be serious all the time (some of us almost never, actually).

As Maureen points out, keeping content fresh is a real challenge. It is easy to let your job description get in the way of taking on additional tasks (such as blogging). One way to cope with this is to draw from a wider pool of employees.

And Ann/Lewis, while I see your points about keeping internal and external sites separate, there is still tremendous potential in activating your internal audience as brand ambassadors. Is is risky? Maybe a little ... but it makes for a lively site and a living brand!

"Think about creating posts that start conversations, have a point of view, and appeal to the interests of your readers. All writing must consider the audience, but for bloggers, it's critical."

Yes! Have a point-of-view please! Too many biz blogs try a little too hard to not offend, or to be too many things to too many people (like most businesses in general). Blogs are human, and humans have opinions.

I like the way you talk about the conversational approach.

Great post Ann!

Tim referred me to your post and that was exactly what I was looking for, since I am planning on starting to blog for the company I work for myself. The only challenge is, as you mentioned, what to write about. I think with these guidelines and some creative thinking, that shouldn't be too hard of a task.

I think what a lot of these comments are getting at, and what Rob, Tim and Paul really pointed out, is that blogs are about being human. That is, having an opinion, not taking things too seriously 24/7 and being honest - although that's not an inherent human trait per se (what a wonderful world it would be if it was, huh?). Whereas most advertising, business collateral, sales materials, etc. are about the company, a company blog is about the employees and human face(s) associated with it. This way, you get to know the company and the folks behind it. And the more you know, the better the relationship. And the better the relationship, the more trust people have...

Great list, Ann! To that I'd add: 8. blog what you are passionate about. I wrote a follow-up entry on it here: http://talkitup.typepad.com/weblog/2006/11/blogging_your_p.html

Thanks for the tips!