Corporate blogging is a relatively new idea, and the jury is still out on whether it will succeed. This ontroversial marketing tool may be the beginning of a new kind of advertising strategy, or it may fizzle out in a matter of months. Many companies are looking for ways to capitalize on the blogging trend, and many of these corporations have determined that a great way to ride the blogging wave is to keep a blog on their corporate website. These blogs are often created to appeal to the demographic that the company needs to court, and the content may have quite a lot to do with the activities of the corporation, or it may have very little to do with the company itself. Often, a corporate blog will focus on the kinds of content likely to attract the desired surfers, even if that content is not related to the product or service that the company provides.
Some bloggers feel that corporate blogging is a kind of validation for the blogging movement, and shows that this exciting new medium has really infiltrated the mainstream. Other bloggers consider the kind of viral marketing that corporate blogs practice to be unethical or distasteful. In any case, watching the evolution of corporate blogs and whether they survive and proliferate or fail and disappear promises to provide some interesting insight into today's consumers.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
To Join a Blogging Site or Not to Join
Joining an established blogging site like live journal or blogger has plenty of advantages, especially for the blog novice. Sites that host a lot of different blogs often have very useful tutorials about building and updating your blog, and you are likely to encounter a very user- friendly software interface at an established blogging site. In addition, these sites provide a kind of instant community of fellow bloggers who can provide advice, insight, and feedback. These established sites often keep directories of their members, which can be great news for your traffic logs because it means that other bloggers on the site will find out about your pages.
However, there are also some downsides to linking up with a large blogging site. By posting within the established templates of a site like blogger, you run the risk of having your blog look and feel like everybody else's. The blogging movement is very much about the creation of distinctive sites and the development of individual voices, so it makes plenty of sense that many bloggers would shy away from the cookie-cutter look and feel that these blogging sites often promote. Many bloggers feel that the content of a blog is what makes it distinctive, not the look of the blog, but many members of the blogging community feel that the visual impact of a blog should match the originality of the writing.
However, there are also some downsides to linking up with a large blogging site. By posting within the established templates of a site like blogger, you run the risk of having your blog look and feel like everybody else's. The blogging movement is very much about the creation of distinctive sites and the development of individual voices, so it makes plenty of sense that many bloggers would shy away from the cookie-cutter look and feel that these blogging sites often promote. Many bloggers feel that the content of a blog is what makes it distinctive, not the look of the blog, but many members of the blogging community feel that the visual impact of a blog should match the originality of the writing.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Blogging: Consolidation, Debt, and New Information Technology
If you are interested in blogging, consolidation, debt, and other financial topics are sure to appear in many of the blogs that you regularly read. Techniques to make and manage money are some of the most popular topics for bloggers to explore on the web, so it is little wonder that so many bloggers turn their attention to dealing with debt. Falling into debt is all too easy, and getting out of debt can be very difficult for people who do not have a lot of financial expertise. For people who have a knack for dealing with finances, blogging about their insights and knowledge can be a great way to literally and figuratively share the wealth.
If you are considering getting into blogging, consolidation, debt, savings, and investment topics can prove to be very fruitful things to write about. Many professional bloggers who make a living off of their blogs spend their days writing about money. If you know how to court advertisers and build a blog fan base, you can make money just by talking about money. If you are familiar with loan consolidation, negotiating settlements with credit card companies, or any other financial topics, consider using your knowledge to create a successful blog. By sharing your expertise, you may be able to help your readers get out of debt while you reap sizable monetary rewards for your time and knowledge.
If you are considering getting into blogging, consolidation, debt, savings, and investment topics can prove to be very fruitful things to write about. Many professional bloggers who make a living off of their blogs spend their days writing about money. If you know how to court advertisers and build a blog fan base, you can make money just by talking about money. If you are familiar with loan consolidation, negotiating settlements with credit card companies, or any other financial topics, consider using your knowledge to create a successful blog. By sharing your expertise, you may be able to help your readers get out of debt while you reap sizable monetary rewards for your time and knowledge.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Personal Blogging, Documentary, and History
When it comes to personal blogging, documentary is the default genre. There are plenty of blogs that serve other functions, but many blogs are primarily catalogues of the life experiences of their author. Although there are quite a few blogs that focus on collecting poetry and other forms of creative writing, the vast majority of personal blogs are in some sense documentaries.
For many years, the act of making a documentary was meant to be an objective act of reporting the sights and sounds that the filmmaker, writer, or photographer encountered. However, in contemporary times there has been a movement towards embracing the subjectivity inherent in the documentary form. This means that modern documentaries often reflect the distinctive voice and sensibility of their creator, and the fact that todays documentaries often revolve around personality blurs the lines between documentary and memoir. logs rest somewhere between these two genres, muddying the distinctions even further. Personal blogging,
documentary, and memoir are now irrevocably intertwined, for better or for worse.
Although few bloggers think of themselves as making documentaries in any formal sense, every time somebody sits down in front of a computer and types up a record of their day, they are documenting their wn
historical moment. The things that we take for granted about our daily lives, like the way that we use specific modes of transportation, or the kinds of products that we buy, often seem quite fascinating to people who live in circumstances different from ours, and it is this kind of fascination that is at the heart of many documentary projects. When people think about blogging, documentary is not very likely to be the first adjective that crosses their minds, but a few decades down the road it is very likely that todays blogs will be seen primarily as very subjective documentaries of our era. The people of tomorrow will almost certainly look to the blogs of today for insight into our historical moment.
When it comes to blogging, documentary may not be the aim of most people who spend their time posting their thoughts and ideas on the internet. In some ways, the documentary aspect of blogging is more of a side effect than a primary goal. However, the fact that so many people are interested in publishing these public online diaries shows that personal blogs are about more than just rumination. The fact that bloggers are so stimulated by and interested in sharing their ideas with each other reinforces the idea that personal blogs are, in some ways, documentaries meant for public consumption. Documentaries appeal to people who are curious about other ways of life, and many people who regularly read others personal blogs are looking for his same kind of new perspective.
For many years, the act of making a documentary was meant to be an objective act of reporting the sights and sounds that the filmmaker, writer, or photographer encountered. However, in contemporary times there has been a movement towards embracing the subjectivity inherent in the documentary form. This means that modern documentaries often reflect the distinctive voice and sensibility of their creator, and the fact that todays documentaries often revolve around personality blurs the lines between documentary and memoir. logs rest somewhere between these two genres, muddying the distinctions even further. Personal blogging,
documentary, and memoir are now irrevocably intertwined, for better or for worse.
Although few bloggers think of themselves as making documentaries in any formal sense, every time somebody sits down in front of a computer and types up a record of their day, they are documenting their wn
historical moment. The things that we take for granted about our daily lives, like the way that we use specific modes of transportation, or the kinds of products that we buy, often seem quite fascinating to people who live in circumstances different from ours, and it is this kind of fascination that is at the heart of many documentary projects. When people think about blogging, documentary is not very likely to be the first adjective that crosses their minds, but a few decades down the road it is very likely that todays blogs will be seen primarily as very subjective documentaries of our era. The people of tomorrow will almost certainly look to the blogs of today for insight into our historical moment.
When it comes to blogging, documentary may not be the aim of most people who spend their time posting their thoughts and ideas on the internet. In some ways, the documentary aspect of blogging is more of a side effect than a primary goal. However, the fact that so many people are interested in publishing these public online diaries shows that personal blogs are about more than just rumination. The fact that bloggers are so stimulated by and interested in sharing their ideas with each other reinforces the idea that personal blogs are, in some ways, documentaries meant for public consumption. Documentaries appeal to people who are curious about other ways of life, and many people who regularly read others personal blogs are looking for his same kind of new perspective.
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