Number 91: March 9, 2005

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This week in Katydid:

• I Want to Say One Word to You…
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I Want to Say One Word to You…
In the 1930s, the builders of the Empire State Building included a mast for dirigibles because they envisioned a world where everyone traveled by airship. In the 1950s, rocket ships captured the imaginations of the population as science fiction stories described a world where airplanes would be obsolete; if you wanted to get somewhere, you took your rocket. Futuristic films of the 1960s seem so dated today because their scenic design over-applies the fascination of the day… Plastics.

Well, half-a-century later, we're no closer to that vision, nor does anyone plan to go shopping for his or her personal zeppelin, rocket ship, or hovercraft anytime soon. SpaceShipOne may have captured the X-Prize and while few expect to make the trip themselves, many now imagine a world of space tourism.

All this is to say that whenever some new and exciting technology comes along, we naturally try to apply it to everything. So it was with web sites, e-mail, and interactive digital marketing. So it is with blogging.

Over the past year, blogs (web logs) have moved from the underground to the mainstream; however, they are not a solution for every organization and they cannot replace your other marketing.

Next week The Weekly Katydid will look at how web logs work and explore some of the options available. The following week, we'll discuss some of the concerns surrounding web logs and precautions you should consider. For now, let's explore applications for which a web log can be valuable.

Web logs have a chronological taxonomy. They are meant to be followed on a regular basis — most are updated daily. Therefore, web logs are topical and dynamic. Not surprisingly, they document history wonderfully — an archive reads like a time capsule or an archeological record.

Web logs are great vehicles for organizational news; because they're informal, you don't have to stick to a set schedule. You can post in bursts as long as there's enough activity to keep people coming back.

Like bulletin boards (BBs) of yore, web logs carry conversational threads. The host can monitor the conversations and control posting. This makes them ideal for technical support, specialized knowledge, or user groups. Blogs are superior to community bulletin boards because they gain momentum faster — one voice can quickly fill up the page. A board-based community must be nurtured; few want to be the first to post something, which means either you have to fake enough posts to look lived in, or you have to create artificial incentives to drive visitors to post.

Web logs foster the development of a point of view. While you can have any number of topics and categories (and create filters and archives to drill-down into them), as a minimalist musical composition reveals its subtleties through minor variations that emerge over repetition, through the informality and frequency of blogging, a personality emerges.

Web logs are well suited for industry experts, media pundits, armchair quarterbacks, and other generally opinionated people. The thought leaders reveal themselves by where they put their attention as much as by the opinions they hold. Organizations can take advantage of this effect and develop web logs that help round out the image of the organization.

Personality over time equals relationships. Web logs are perfect vehicles to develop and extend your relationships with your target market. They offer the customer a voice and they give voice to more subtle aspects of your marketing. You can use web logs to provide industry expertise and guidance for your customers; it can become a trusted resource, which lends itself to viral marketing.

However, it doesn't let you off the hook with your other marketing. In order to have a point of view, you have to take a stand on something. That requires a marketing strategy. In order to develop relationships, you still have to conduct outreach. Some may stumble onto your blog but most will be driven to your site by other marketing.

Customers and clients still need the facts. They want to know what your organization does and why you are different. That requires web sites and traditional collateral.

Most of all, web logs are living organisms. To have life, a blog must breathe content. You must tend it like a shepherd. Blogs are hard work; you have to possess a preternatural drive to write, which is why they are so popular with fetishists, ideologues, and teen-agers.

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Kind regards, 
Kevin Troy Darling

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