"We blog so you don't have to!"
I hate internet videos and most of my friends hate them too. A certain search engine constantly annoys me. I find a headline that looks interesting only to find that it’s not an article. It’s a video with a 30 second ad followed by a badly produced clip that was a waste of time. You … Read more
One of my daily tasks as a blogger involves going through the analytics and visitor traffic reports I receive. While my “newsiest” topics are invariably the ones that claim the top spot on any given day, the posts that draw a much more reliable stream of readers over time are perennial subjects that have a … Read more
It used to be that bloggers could get away with broadcasting a one-way monologue to anyone on the internet willing to listen, but not anymore. You might be leery of allowing readers to submit comments about content or opinions you’ve posted on your corporate blog, but the rise of social media is making that position … Read more
When working on an editorial strategy for their blogs, clients often ask me about “guest posts.” Why write our own content, the argument goes, when there are numerous industry luminaries willing to write content for our blog for free? If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is, and I generally advise against … Read more
Online, the old adage that “anything goes” may be true, but on your business blog, you need to think about your posting strategy before you write a blog post. What should you write about? Well, it depends on your business. These tips should serve as a guide to help you get started. 1. The Industry … Read more
Check out a few blogs online — even A-list blogs or blogs published by major news outlets — and you’ll quickly start to notice something: No one seems to be editing this stuff. They’re riddled with grammatical errors, typos, dead links, and more. Why is this? The quick answer is that, yeah, no one is … Read more
Early in my journalism career (more years ago than I care to mention), someone asked me whether I was a better writer or reporter. Without much hesitation, I chose Option A, because I knew I was way too polite to be a real newshound. There were plenty of great reporters on the staff of that … Read more
In 2011, IBM’s work-at-home program saved about 6.4 million gallons of fuel and over 50,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. A Stanford study found work-at-home employees were 13 percent more productive than working in-house. Marissa Mayer’s recent decision to end work-from-home arrangements came under a lot of scrutiny as it implied a negative connotation to … Read more
Businesses get more business when they blog. We’ve already established that. But more and more, video content’s been being trotted out as the next big thing in customer communications. Is video really as big a deal as everyone makes it out to be? Rather than relying on clichés like “Pictures are worth a thousand words,” … Read more
I’m constantly thinking about how we can help improve the state of corporate blogging in the world, and it’s a tough challenge. I think the main problem is the word corporate. Much as a “corporate suit” doesn’t inspire confidence and a “corporate office park” doesn’t make you want to hang out for the day, a … Read more