Well first I will say that I was a bit disappointed to find out in the "Naked Conversations" intro (pg. 1) that the book did not in fact feature "middle-aged white guys talking in the nude."
The blacksmith analogy made in the aforementioned introduction explains exactly how I feel about businesses that do not adapt quickly enough to the rapidly changing industry (and way of life) that technology is. I recently ordered a headset for ITEC-200 (also w/ Prof. Mel) and the shipping tracking displayed as follows:
Clearly the scanning device was reset. And, most likely, December 31st, 1969 is the default begin date. Now, the device used for scanning the packages cannot be more than 5-6 years old. Therefore, why would the software programmers even allow the device to register a date earlier than, say, 2001? This is the kind of silliness that I despise, and Scoble and Israel agree with me in saying that companies like this will not find themselves with work for very long.
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On a related note, those companies that are technologically "with it" have an active blogging force who contribute to and maintain the corporate blog. I can see a lot of confusion arising with regard to proper conduct of a company employee in a corporate (or even personal) blog. How far is too far? And, how active or inactive, passive or aggressive should one be in defending or advertising their company?
To see an actual, well-though out manifesto of proper corporate weblog conduct (NC, 190) really filled me with excitement. I found the gist of this passage to be along the lines of, 'be yourself, but to an extent.' Having a thick skin, and posting frequently and with passion are advocated, yet we are reminded that we do not have free speech, and that lawsuits can ensue if we are not careful. I feel that there are noticeable contradictions in this set of guidelines, but it's also the most thought out (and therefore best) start toward establishing a standard for corpblog activity that I've yet to come across.
I think all companies with blogs should give their blogging employees this list, and instruct them to abide by it as their Constitution and their code of conduct. Likewise, companies who don't presently blog should use this manifesto as a foundation for success in the blogging community. It's much easier to start a new blog and follow these rules, than to try and reform an old, beat-up, and dirty blog that's been around for several years.
Naked Conversations: http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Conversations-Changing-Businesses-Customers/dp/047174719X. The authors' blog: http://redcouch.typepad.com/.
4 comments:
I COMPLETELY disagree with you, Jeff. Companies that are behind the power curve in terms of technology do just as fine as companies like Half.com or Amazon. In fact, in many cases they perform much better- take Abercrombie and Fitch for example. Where's the technology there??? The digital signing pad for credit card purchases? Huh Jeff? Answer me that.
-Anon
[typo in the first line - repost]
I will agree with you both. The thing about it is, is that each company targets a certain market trying to reach a certain goal. Companies like Apple and Microsoft have to keep pushing the technological envelope in order to do well and succeed. Some companies do it as an added bonus without needing technological innovation (see Starbucks), and others, like clothing stores, don't need much of it at all.
Look at A&F, or look at 7-Eleven... simple websites without too much going on, but I dare you to say these two companies aren't successful. Look at restaurants or pretty much anybody that isn't a company rooted in technological expansion.
This is one case where there are two curves. One of which is the technology curve where Oracle, Apple, Microsoft, etc have to stay ahead. The next curve is that of non-technology rooted companies. In all honesty, these companies aren't thinking of their next big technological innovation... they just want their fall selection to sell out.
Well, "Anon" as you call yourself, there is a lot more that goes into A&F than you might think. A&F has a supreme knowledge of Business Intelligence (BI), in which they exploit several of the human body's senses to encourage people to buy more. Take, for example, the smell of the store, or the abnormally loud, but incredibly trendy, music that they play. The dim lights and dark colors of the store contrast price tags, and people adopt the mindset that they can afford much more than what they thought before they entered. Likewise, the A&F employees are expected to be friendly and helpful, thereby exploiting Customer Relationship Management (CRM) techniques and encouraging customers to buy more. Finally, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) within A&F has streamlined the way the company runs, affecting everything from financial accounting processes to the new, updated styles of clothing on the shelves. In these ways, A&F is actually a very hi-tech company, utilizing a different kind of technology that you are used to seeing with entirely online companies like Amazon or EBay.
Hey Jeff, hope you did well on today's hiragana quiz.
Anyway I agree that if a company wants to blog, a well thought out guideline is definitely the key. Blogs are powerful tools, however I think even before a company should put blogs up to promote or discuss their company, they should evaluate what their customers or consumers want to hear about in the first place.
I've seen way too many company blog about topics that no one cares about.
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