10 Things You Should Know About Corporate Blogging

Blogging has become something of a rite of passage for employees at corporations all over the world. From C-level executives to knowledge workers, people have put their digital pens to the screen to discuss business affairs, corporate strategies or what a

Pick the Best Software

If your blog page looks like a Staten Island trash heap, so will you. Go with the cleanest look, even if the software isnt the easiest to use.

Have a Goal

Dont write aimlessly–make it clear where you come from and why you are choosing to blog, or you and your audience will grow tired of your posts.

Know Your Audience

If youre the CEO and you write about things in the domain of a CIO or CFO, you are courting disaster.

Be Personal

Writing a press release or regurgitating facts is not what a blog is about. Inject some of your personality into what you write to engage your audience.

Sell Thyself

Corporate blogs are basically marketing hotspots. Make sure you write the way you would speak if you were addressing 1,000 people at an industry conference. Write with authority and verve.

Beware of Puffery

Selling yourself is one thing; tooting your own horn incessantly will turn people off. Straddling the line between marketing and self-aggrandizement is not easy, but it is necessary.

Be Respectful of Your Audience

Assume your audience is smarter than you, which means dont write anything that is untrue. Thinking you can pull the wool over your readers’ eyes will only get you trampled by the herd.

Mind the Law

Dont spill trade secrets just to call attention to yourself or slander others–youre just asking for a criminal investigation. At the very least, youll raise questions about ethics.

Dont Be a Windbag

Say what you need to say, and sign off. You may wear out people and turn them off with reams of bombast or vitriol.

Be Receptive to Feedback

Blogging may be a fine way for people to express themselves, but the true character test comes in how bloggers respond to feedback. If you choose to respond to respondents, be courteous to those who agree with you and take the h

• 10 Things You Should Know About MS Office Alternatives
• 10 Things You Should Know About SAA