MAINTAINING A BLOG
To edit or not to edit, that is the question. In 2003, the blogosphere was rife with arguments for and against edited blogs. Today the issue has been talked to death, and the conclusion seems to be that sometimes an editor is useful, if only to check grammar and spelling. Some blogs are also edited for content. However, maintaining the spontaneity and fresh feeling of a blog when every post has to go through an editor or committee for content approval is difficult. A better technique is to set policies for appropriate blogging practices and leave your blogger to it. If you have faith in your blogger, check his or her spelling, and let the content take care of itself.
For business blogs, establishing some guidelines to blog by is important. You need to create a climate where the blog can flourish that won’t also turn your hair gray and keep you awake at night worrying. The guidelines needn’t be lengthy or very formal, but they should establish some working principles for the role of the blogger; an editor, if there is one; and anyone else involved in overseeing the blog. You also need to do some thinking about how to handle mistakes and corrections, preferably before they happen.
Your blog editorial policies should also include a linking policy — do you allow links to competitors or to news stories that include criticism of your products or services?
By starting a blog, you join a whole new community — one that has no more in common with your business than random strangers off the street. Because you have chosen to use the blogging medium, the blogosphere (bloggers and those who read blogs) pay attention to what you do.
This group talks a lot, to each other and to their readers, who are often members of respected news media organizations. Because most are blogging as private individuals, they have no compunction about being critical of what you’re doing or of playing watchdog for advertising in the form of blogs. Increasingly, what they say has national and international impact.
So you need to pay attention to the conventions of the blogging world and become familiar with prominent blogs and bloggers. Spend some time reading blogs, even those that don’t have anything to do with your industry but are successful. Try to take note of good practices and conventions, and appropriate ways to take part in the conversations going on in the blogosphere. The payoff just may be some good buzz about your efforts from other bloggers that can send readers your way!