Corporate Blogs Take On an Edge
Companies take a new marketing tack: letting their bloggers discuss a range of topics.
July 30, 2007 12:00 PM ETComputerworld -
NetQoS Inc. is a vendor of network performance management software. But youd be hard-pressed to figure that out from some of the online posts written by Brian Boyko, the Austin-based companys designated corporate blogger.
In April, for example, a Boyko post about the Interplanetary Internet project which is designed to extend the Net into outer space prompted Internet luminary Vinton Cerf to post a comment on NetworkPerformanceDaily.com, the NetQoS blog.
And over the course of several months this year, the blog gained national attention after Boyko posted multiple entries about the case of a Connecticut school teacher whom a jury convicted on charges of risking injury to a minor for allegedly exposing students to pornographic images that appeared on a classroom computer.

Brian Boyko
Companies such as NetQoS, which launched its blog nine months ago, are eschewing Corporate Blogging 1.0 tactics that often result in blogs being used merely to post static marketing materials as an extension of companies Web sites. Now, a growing number of businesses are opening up their blogs to provide an outlet for the same kind of uncensored commentary and interaction that have made personal blogs such a popular medium on the Web.
At such companies, executives or full-time in-house bloggers like Boyko are writing posts. Although the goal is still to raise the profile of a company, the new-style blogs often tackle unconventional topics that may not have an obvious effect on businesses bottom lines.
For example, Pitney Bowes Inc. in June launched its first blog, featuring posts written by Mike Critelli, its executive chairman. Critelli has tackled topics such as public funding for research on Alzheimers disease.
Blogs like Critellis require companies to turn conventional marketing wisdom on its head by investing time, effort and money without the promise of a tangible return on investment, according to executives at organizations that are undertaking such efforts.
They also noted that to be successful, blogs should be anchored by a genuine voice and offer readers content that is free of marketingspeak.
SmugMug Inc., a Mountain View, Calif.-based company that operates an online photo-sharing site, began its corporate blog about two years ago as a blah, blah, blah blog [that said], Our company is great and heres why, noted co-founder and President Chris MacAskill. But the first blog didnt generate much readership, he said.
blog
Additional Resources



Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.
White Papers & Webcasts
Data in Action: Making the Planet Smarter
Register Now
Oracle Accelerate - Not Just Smart but Timely
Download Now!
Why BI is Ripe - Now! - For Businesses of Any Size
Download Now!
The Workday User Experience Video
Watch Workday's Creative Director, Scott Lietzke, discuss the business-centered design philosophy at Workday.
Business Process Framework Demo
Learn about Configurable Business Processes and Calculated Fields. Watch Now!
Rapid Implementation: The New Age of ERP
Download Now!
Manager Experience Demo
Go beyond self-service solutions to perform more effectively. Watch Now.

