Intro to Digital Age

Businesses are changing the way they communicate with consumers in the digital age.  The shift, as Scoble and Israel described in Naked Conversations, is from traditional marketing and public relations campaigns to owners of companies communicating directly with customers.  Blogs are leading the change, allowing for open, honest, and speedy communication between businesses and customers.  Blogs differ from traditional marketing and public relations tactics in several ways.  Through the use of blogs, companies can start conversations, rather than controlthem.  Scoble and Israel used the illustration of Microsoft’s Channel 9 as a way of starting conversation.  Channel 9 was developed as a way for Microsoft to respond to customers interactively.  Channel 9 is a good example because it was the first corporate video blog, the first to use wikis for collaboration between developers and customers, and the first corporate website to use RSS.  According to the authors, the site has been recognized as one of the most innovative forms of blogging.  It made a serious impact on the blogging community.  Blogs also differ from traditional communication practices in the issue of timeliness.  If a media crisis occurs, blogs allow the company to quickly get out a response, effectively keeping the crisis from growing out of control.  An example the authors gave was of Kryptonite’s bike locks.  The company basically ignored a crisis brewing in the blogging community, choosing to approach the matter in traditional fashion.  More than a week after the crisis began, the company issued a statement, but its reputation had already been damaged.  Blogs give companies the opportunity to address a situation, even if they do not yet have the whole story.  By issuing a statement early, letting the public know they are aware of the situation and working to address it, companies can better control the crisis.  

Scoble and Israel argued that “the world has become a faster, smaller place” and blogs are more effective means of reaching the public.  This sounds like Rheingold’s idea of “smart mobs.” New technologies and what we are able to do with them has brought people together around the world.  The Internet has enabled people to form groups, or social networks, that are connected globally.  These groups can help a business or seriously hurt it.  In this era of consumer generated media, customers can have tremendous impact on a product – if the companies will listen.  Scoble and Israel argued that companies mustlisten, or they will loose business.  “Blog or die,” they argued.  I’m not convinced, though, that most companies are listening.  A few companies have caught on to blogging and embraced it.  Blogging, in turn, has positively effected their business.  I think most companies, though, are still wary of being so public.  It will take a while for company blogging to become so mainstream that a lack of blogging will ultimately lead to the death of the company.

I think a company blog is a good thing, if done correctly.  There are some instances I can think of, though, where a blog might not be necessary.  It depends on the audience you are attempting to reach.  If most of your customers are bloggers, definitely blog.  If most of your customers aren’t even online, I don’t think it’s necessary to the survival of your company.  There is still a large part of the population that is not online or has never read a blog.  I do agree with Hugh Hewitt’s opinion, though, that this is the reason why now is a good time to start blogging.  It’s free, there is little competition, and it may benefit your company.  I just don’t see it as necessary – yet.