Comments on: The Blog Council: a How NOT to Corporate Blog Guide

By: Kelly Feller

Kelly Feller — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:10:07 +0000

Perhaps you're missing what the blog council is trying to do. I'm not personally a member, but I do work for a large corporation managing blogs and social media efforts. There are unique problems corporations face when trying to implement conversational marketing programs including blogging. Shouldn't people who face these unique challenges be permitted to develop their own community of peers to help address these issues? I don't know all the policies of the Council; as I mentioned, I'm not a member. But I can tell you I often return home black and blue from the beating I get both internally, for trying to get my corp peers to do social media the "right" way, and externally from a outspoken community of purists who think there is no place for corporate presence within social media. Kelly Feller's last blog post..Video: Jeremiah Owyang presenting Forrester's POST Method at Cluetrain conference

By: Make Money Online » Blog Archive » Big business fails to understand blogging

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:08:39 +0000

[...] And it’s not just me who think The Blog Council have got this wrong. Take a look at The Marketing Pilgrim’s [...]

By: Mike Moran

Mike Moran — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:19:59 +0000

I guess we can each choose whether to believe their story or not, Paul. I usually try to take people at their word, so I am giving them the benefit of the doubt. If I am wrong about them, I am sure they’ll give us more evidence to help us decide one way or the other. So, I am keeping my mind open (some would say it’s cavernous in its emptiness).

By: Scholars and Rogues » Blog Archive » Upon refelction: was I too hard on The Blog Council?

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:51:23 +0000

[...] guy who knows a thing or two about blogging – explains why he’s skeptical. Jordan McCollum goes door-to-door on some of the group’s players. Mike Moran prays that it’s all just a big mistake. And [...]

By: Paul Chaney

Paul Chaney — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:18:36 +0000

Yes, but Mike, isn’t that a bit disingenuous? A “blog” council with no blog? I suspect I judge both too quickly and harshly. *Note to self: Give them time Paul. Give them time.*

Also, I spoke to one of the members yesterday who indicated they have no desire to become a regulatory body for the blogosphere, as some have asserted. They all have day jobs, he said.

By: Mike Moran

Mike Moran — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:47:13 +0000

I spoke with Andy Sernovitz yesterday of the Blog Council and the disabling of comments was apparently a mistake. They were trying to use blogging software as a simple content management system and they’ve now updated the site so it looks like a flat Web site, not a blog. I updated my post about the Blog Council from Monday (http://www.mikemoran.com/biznology/archives/2007/12/oneway_blogging.h tml) to reflect this.

By: Caged Ether » The Blog Council exposed

Caged Ether » The Blog Council exposed — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:08:07 +0000

[...] Read more… Bookmark with: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]

By: Blogs Not the Place for a One-Way Message | Shaun Low

Blogs Not the Place for a One-Way Message | Shaun Low — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:04:30 +0000

[...] McCollum from Marketing Pilgrim had a great post Friday called “a How Not to Corporate Blog Guide,” which justifiably rips into the Blog Council for its strange way of advising companies to [...]

By: Jordan McCollum

Jordan McCollum — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:47:18 +0000

Oh, I definitely don’t think they want to be a regulatory body. They do say that their goal is to establish best practices for corporate blogging. And whenever they get around to posting their third post, I’m sure we’ll learn more about that goal.

By: Paul Chaney

Paul Chaney — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:28:33 +0000

They might wish to set themselves up as a regulatory body, though ostensibly, only where large corporate entities are concerned.

Of course, the notion that any one group could “regulate” bloggers is laughable, tantamount to herding millions of cats.

If they come up with some “best practices” that can be emulated (I’ll never say ‘should’), that would be good. Otherwise, I don’t see that their reach would be as overarching as to presuppose they could morph into a regulatory body.

By: Zen

Zen — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:26:47 +0000

Shouldn’t the people elect the members of any council? To auto proclaim oneself a “Blog Council” seems kind of arrogant, at least in my perspective.

By: Steven Bradley

Steven Bradley — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:16:29 +0000

I think the corporate world still sees blogs as a direct sales tool or an extension of a press release. They haven’t caught on to the idea of blogging as a conversation or a way to become more transparent to their customers.

I’m not sure if a council made up of corporations is the best way for them to understand the conversational nature of blogging, but time will tell.

By: Furniture Store

Furniture Store — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:23:11 +0000

A lot of people in the blogging community are extremely indignant about this Blog council which they fear will be a regulatory body who will set itself up to police the blogosphere in a way.

The take of a lot of bloggers is “who asked you” and “who are you anyway?”

And as you say “comments are disabled on the Blog Council blog.”, doesnt sound as though they want anyone else’s opinions does it?

By: Paul Chaney

Paul Chaney — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:06:26 +0000

Yes, I think you should go on. Microsoft is a member, as is Dell, and those two companies certainly have a better track record.

It should not go un-noted that Microsoft was the company that gave rise to Robert Scoble, Channel 9, and over 5,000 employee bloggers, all the while touting their blog policy was simply, “Blog smart.”

While Dell had to learn the lesson the hard way, I’d suggest they’ve made a pretty good showing of how to engage customers in conversation with their Direct2Dell blog and IdeaStorm community.

Maybe these two companies are there to mentor the others who aren’t faring so well.

While I have no feeling for or against the Blog Council, I think the jury is still out on its efficacy.

It is my hope what’s learned behind closed doors will be shared with the business blogosphere at large. That is certainly a blogging “best practice” if ever there was one.

By: MG

MG — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 12:13:13 +0000

Helpful article, tnx!

By: » Blogging: There’s No One Right Way Blog Marketing Journal

» Blogging: There’s No One Right Way Blog Marketing Journal — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:51:24 +0000

[...] Marketing Pilgrim blogged about an organization calling itself Blog Council. The Pilgrim is dead on regarding its interpretation of the Council. They don’t seem to be too qualified to what they say they’re going to do. Here’s a sample of their own blogging philosophy: “Major corporations use blogs differently while abiding by the same rules and etiquette,” said Blog Council CEO Andy Sernovitz. “Individual and small-business bloggers don’t face the same issues. For example, we still need to deliver a responsible and effective corporate message, but we need to do it in the complicated environment of the blogosphere. We have to speak for a corporation, but never sound ‘corporate.’ And we have to learn to do it live, and in real-time.” [...]