So… here we go!
I have been planning to kick off my blog for quite a while, but never seem to get past that initial writer’s block… I regularly read many blogs; some of them are 100% just for fun but many are tied to my current professional interest – social media applications in the enterprise. This blog will mostly be a synthesis of my thoughts and research in this area, but I’m sure to digress occasionally!
I’m also going to try to stay true to my favorite blog characteristics…
- Regular posts that synthesize information from other sources - An old college friend (Dr. Eric Barchas) is the blogging veterinarian on dogster.com, and he posts something new every day. Often it’s just an answer to a question posed by a reader, but he will also blog about something that he found interesting or relevant. I love several things about his blog… He always provides links to previous posts that are relevant (very handy), and I can hear his “voice” or personality in his posts. It helps that I love dogs, have a dog, and find the information useful and interesting! http://blogs.dogster.com/vet_blog_information_advice/
- Careful management of blog culture - I have to admit that I am a regular reader of Perez Hilton’s blog (www.perezhilton.com). Mostly, it is just a good source of random information about famous people, but kind of addictive. I never read a single comment or venture beyond the main posts because the culture of the blog involves thousands of folks who sit around trying to be the “first” to comment. Don’t like this or blogs where people just pick on each other or are confrontational. Open, healthy discussion and debate is great, though!
- Proposing or providing new ideas and frameworks – Several folks I follow in the enterprise 2.0 space use their blogs to get feedback on new models or perspectives, and they’ve collected a set of followers that actively provide assistance. I like that they are sharing a working model and actively incorportate input into the final approach. Andrew McAfee’s blog does this really well (http://blog.hbs.edu/faculty/amcafee/) and I love to read his posts and know that every comment will be insightful and thought provoking.
- Surfacing new ideas and products - If you want to hear about companies, products or ideas in the Enterprise 2.0 space, Ross Mayfield, founder of Socialtext, does a great job of picking up on trends or ideas and providing insights on strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. (http://ross.typepad.com/) I enjoy his blog for some of the same reasons I love the dogster vet blog… I can hear Ross’s voice, thought process and personality in his posts.
Enjoy!
