In what may be a sign that blogs have jumped-the-shark, the current issue of BusinessWeek has a cover story emblazoned with large letters that “Blogs Will Change Your Business. Look past the yakkers, hobbyists, and political mobs. Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up…or catch you later.” They cite some sobering statistics that there are now over 9 million blogs with about 40,000 sprouting up each day. Granted, a lot are the daily musings of the likes of Girly Shoes, who writes often about her last job (see “The Last Post Ever About My Old Job“). But others make you take a closer look at the business case for the use of a blog, e.g., the FastLane Blog set up by GM’s Vice-Chairman, Bob Lutz. While the blog is carefully edited by the PR department, GM deserves some credit for opening up a window to one of its most senior executives. (Note to Bob: Love the site but you still need to build better cars)
This article may also come from the fact that BusinessWeek itself has spawned a half-dozen of its own, professionally run blogs, including a “new blog on blogs” called Blogspotting. Although, if you look at the posts on Blogspotting, it seems to have not found it’s way yet. It features posts pondering “Mainstream press barely mentions blogs” and “Mainstream media’s alleged strategy on blogs.” Blogspotting even asks the question “What do you want this blog to be?” I suppose it’s nice they asked but you’d think with having professional staffers running the blog they’d know what they wanted.
BW has several other blogs (all run by professionals) like Tech Beat, posted by a half dozen staffers. This has a fair bit of useful information, including the ironic Overcoming Blog Overload post on tagging.
But, I could be misguided. The Business 2.0 blog reported that the advertising on BoingBoing.net brings in about $500,000 a year in change for the group. Maybe the Baristas need to start talking to Starbucks about a joint venture.
I’m thrilled to be linked here via trackback, but how on earth did you come to choose me as the postergirl for this topic? And, since I can’t tell from the tone of the reference, is this a bad thing?
The Baristas respond: The reference to Girly Shoes was not meant to be disparaging in any way – only a contrast of noncommercial vs. commercial use of a blog. Besides being designed by Moxie Design Studios, the designers of Patent Baristas, Girly Shoes remains a favorite read of Karlyn.
Yes, it is one that I visit often, along with several others (such as “Go Fug Yourself”) to satisfy that non-technical, non-geek part of my brain. Keep up the blogging ladies.
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