The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right

Frankly, I am astonished by the rapid growth of blogging and, especially, by the rapidly increasing adoption of blogging as a primary (not exclusive) medium for corporate communications, both internal and external. There are several dozen excellent books now in print that explain this phenomenon (Debbie Weil identifies many of them in her "Recommended Reading" section) and this book is certainly one of them. As I began to read it, I was immediately reminded of an incident decades ago when Vince Lombardi (the new head coach of the Green Bay Packers) met with the team for the first time and announced that he would begin with basics. He held up a leather spheroid and said, "Gentlemen, this is a football." It is widely reported that Max Magee then responded, "Coach, could you please slow down? You're going too fast." Wisely, Weil assumes that her reader knows nothing about blogging. She begins with the basics. In fact, in the first chapter, she responds to the "Top Twenty Questions About Corporate Blogging." At this point, I presume to add that almost everything she says about corporate blogging is relevant to non-corporate blogging, with the obvious exceptions being information and suggestions with regard to creating an institutional blog mechanism. But even so, such mechanisms seek to attract and involve human beings and must thus be designed and administered with a full accommodation of basics. With all due respect to the value of the FAQ section, each reader will have other questions and Weill is well aware of that as she begins her narrative with a "quick romp through the corporate blogosphere" (i.e. background and early development), addresses common fears about blogging (e.g. allocation of resources, contingent legal liability, loss of control.... "the mother of all fears"), determination of ROB (i.e. return on blog), tools and technology needed, and "making the case for blogging to the boss." Along the way, Weil includes (in Chapter 7) her "Top Ten Tips to Write an Effective Business Blog." Then in the final chapter, she shares her thoughts about "what's next," followed by a "Bonus Resources" section that, all by itself, is worth much more than the cost of the book. One man's opinion, its value is increased by a factor of at least ten if the material is absorbed and digested within the frame-of-reference established by the ten chapters that precede it. Suggestion: Read the entire book in chapter sequence, highlighting whichever passages catch your eye; then, after reading Chapter 10, set the book aside for a few days before you focus on the "Bonus Resources" section. Many readers will especially appreciate Weill's provision of summaries of key points made by others such as a list of nine ways to use an internal blog suggested by Shel Holz (Pages 31-32) and the "Thomas Nelson Blogging Guidelines" (Pages 165-168) that, according to Weill, make clear "what the business reason is for encouraging [Nelson] employees to blog: to open the door a

As a web designer and internet marketer, I've suggested my client's start a blog for the past 2 years or so but the response wasn't great because of lack of understanding and fear on the client side about what a blog is all about. I tried my best to educate, but it was challenging and time consuming. So when Debbie's Weil's book was published I ran to get a copy and devoured it. She addressed all the concerns and questions my client's had allowing me to be better prepared. So with the new knowledge in hand, I approached one of my clients again and this time they said yes! I was able to address all their questions and fears much more effectively and I even left the book for them to read - which they did. So if you've wanted to start a blog or are trying to convince your client's to begin one, I suggest you put The Corporate Blogging Book on your required reading list. It's that good. -Leslie Trosset, Pres. [...].

Having blogged for a year and having researched blogging for two-and-a-half years now, I have a sense for when the social media stars are aligning. No astrologer is needed to persuade me The Corporate Blogging Book is in the right place at the right time in the social media horoscope. I loved the conversational and organic nature of the book. Debbie's depth of experience--combined with her impeccable research and flawless writing style--make for reading that's insightful and well-toned. Practicing the blogosphere adage that "content is king," Debbie's prose is simply first-rate! This is very compelling writing with lots of great, practical advice to which I can execute. Nicely done, Debbie! You are a blogging rock star! I'll be dying to read your next one!

I read a great book on the weekend called the, "Corporate Blogging Book" by Debbie Weil. The subtitle is, "Absolutely everything you need to know to get it right." Debbie is one of the pioneers of corporate blogging. She is not only an advocate but she explains the pros and cons of corporate blogs. A section from the book: "Blogs are a key enabler of this new way of talking with customers, employees, the media and other constituencies. Packaged, filtered, controlled conversation are out. Open, two-way, less-than-perfect communications with your customers and employees are in." "Listen, learn, debate, be willing to change, admit mistakes, be equals, with your children, be fair to others with whom you have an adversarial relationship. Acting like a dictator will get you nowhere." She has top 20 questions about corporate blogging and in one of those she talks about the three most important things to know before starting blogging. One of her points is savvy bloggers read other blogs. My advice is the simplest way to do this is to subscribe to them. See instructions above. (One of my goals is to get over 1,000 people subscribing to my blog in the next three months, so please do it for me.) One concept that she talks about is citizen journalist and citizen media. Blogs are a new media and it is run by the citizens. "The word PR will be gone; the word blog will be gone. Your employees will be your ad agency and your customers will be your back-up ad agency" by blogger Halley Suitt. The book also has good examples of blogging policies.

Yes, there's a flood of books on business blogging hitting the market, but each one is different. Debbie Weil's The Corporate Blogging Book is written for the corporate-minded person who isn't sure about the blog thing especially in a business setting. The book tells it like it is and is exactly what its title says. The book opens with 20 comprehensive questions about corporate blogging to answer the busy executive and manager's immediate questions. Weil spends a full chapter on the fear of blogging, a persistent theme in business blogging. The questions are the first of many "executive summary" style resources in the book. Weil provides summaries, lists, and narrative style content to help with scanning. Readers can read cover-to-cover, skip around, or skim and gain insight. With the table of contents, scannable content, and index, the reader can easily find the features of interest. Quick read tips cover fears in blogging, ways to use a corporate blog (not just for external communications), ten tips for writing an effective business blog, blogging readiness assessment, what to cover in making the case for blogging to the boss, and a "Get Smart Glossary" so the reader won't have a blank look when someone uses a blogging-related term. Those familiar with Weil's style through her blog and speeches will encounter the same style in the book: honest, straightforward, conversational, absorbing, and sharp. She answers every possible question that an executive or manager has about blogging including return on investment, making the business case for blogging, and how to overcome the common fears and doubts about blogging. Even if a business hasn't decided to blog, understanding blogs from a corporate perspective is a must for organizations of all sizes. Whether or not a company blogs, people will talk about your company. Are you prepared to deal with the blogosphere (the world of blogs)? Weil shares examples of situations where the blogosphere created negative publicity for a company because of a problematic product. Businesses can't jump into blogging like a personal blogger can. Weil covers the need for blogging policies, guidelines, and disclaimers while sharing a few samples in the bonus resources (like an appendix). With the book, the reader gets a clear overview of what blogging is and how it affects businesses. Further, it provides tools, ideas, and a plan for understanding and getting involved with blogging -- most important, it answers all of your questions about business blogging.