10 reasons blogs are the ticket
Blogs aren’t a fad and they aren’t going away. According to Technorati there are more than 15.5 million active blogs updated in the past 90 days. There are 184 million bloggers worldwide according to Universal McCann’s Wave 3 study. Traditional media is trying to morph like crazy; the New York Times, for example, now has 53 different blogs.The Editors Weblog, a publication of the World Editors Forum “gets it” and is advocating “new rules of media.” They say “traditional media must evolve or die” and the first place they should start is by changing their mindset.
Blogs are historic, transformational and yes, even revolutionary. Here’s why they matter:
- Before blogs, we experienced a one-way media model. The traditional media gathered viewpoints, synthesized findings, shaped opinions and published their collective wisdom view. Blogs are grassroots, two-way, organic, bottom-up. Blogs created a communications channel that never existed, changing the media game for the better.
- Traditional media was autocratic. Maybe the magazine, newspaper or TV news program would agree a product, topic, company or angle was newsworthy, maybe they wouldn’t. If they didn’t see it your way, your message died a quick death. But the rules have changed. Increasingly, information breaks first in blogs. Then the traditional media notices it. Blogs are a speedy form of communication and are real-time news generators.
- Blogs give us a voice; they are democracy personified. You don’t have to agree with the blog you read, but a blogger has a right to express what he or she is thinking. Blogs give ordinary people power.
- Information was often tightly controlled. Companies and governments told you what they wanted you to hear. Or didn’t tell you what you needed to hear. Now there’s a way to find out what’s happening. All the time. Blogs make selective and/or secret information available, breaking down control barriers.
- While a blog can be one person’s view, a team view or a collective view, there’s always a compounding network effect. Blogs are a way for people to share information and connect with each other. Blogs create linkage, increase a Web site’s Google rankings and drive traffic to your Web site.
- We’ve witnessed on many occasions how one blog can have tremendous clout. Check out www.consumerist.com if you want examples of how individuals can shake up a big company. Blogs help make companies accountable.
- Blogs create an entirely new, vibrant community for companies (and others) to engage with. Corporations can engage in conversations with potential buyers, customers and other stakeholders, and vice versa, without any filters. Blogs build relationships and deepen brand loyalty.
- This word-of-mouth online network isn’t filtered by anyone; it’s honest and personal. Blogs are a direct channel; they cut out the middle-man.
- Consumers/customers want to buy from companies they respect, admire and enjoy engaging with. Blogs give heretofore stilted, impersonal corporations a human voice and personality.
- Thought leadership is arguably one of the best ways to differentiate. Content is king online; the more quality content you publish, the more your message gets shared and understood. Blogs are a perfect medium for consistently expressing thought leadership.
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