Naked Conversations

How blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers

From Robert Scoble and Shel Israel

Given their global popularity, it would seem to make sense that corporations, especially those in the communications business, would readily adopt web logs, or “blogs” as they are more commonly known, as a part of their overall external communications strategies. The growing influence of bloggers is undeniable—Technorati recently reported that it is tracking 50 million blogs, written in at least 10 different languages. Yet while JupiterResearch released a study in June that estimates 70 percent of companies surveyed are planning on adding a corporate blog to their web site by the end of 2006, there remains a decidedly skeptical view of the power of the medium by many corporations that require “command and control” over what is said publicly.

In their book, Naked Conversations, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel make a well-crafted plea to these holdouts to embrace blogging as a meaningful way to instill trust and loyalty in employees and customers. Scoble, himself a leading blogger for Microsoft until earlier this year, writes from first-hand experience about the many positive advances the company has made in putting a human face to its controversial brand through blogging. The authors maintain that blogs have become “customer evangelism’s most powerful tool so far,” and say that in a world where the official corporate-speak is often viewed as suspect, blogging is the best means to promote an image of transparency, openness and sincere interest in customer satisfaction. They cite the “Six Pillars” of a successful blog: it’s publishable by anyone; it’s findable via search engine; it’s social and promotes conversations; it’s viral, like “word of mouth on steroids”; it can be syndicated through RSS feeds that allow subscriptions to updates; and it’s linkable to any other site or blog on the Internet.

While the book is decidedly in favor of companies adopting a blog-friendly culture, it also discourages certain companies from blogging—especially those that cannot or will not adopt an “open door” policy to customers. The authors also advise companies to enter into the blogosphere only if they plan on seriously investing in it through time and energy, indicating that a blog started and abandoned can do more harm than good. Yet the conclusion they reach is simple: blogging is smart business. As proof of their claim, the authors cite specific examples, such as one executive who said he could reach more people through his blog than any other means of marketing—and as a bonus, they could reach him as well.

Will service providers embrace blogs as a way to open a direct conversation with their customers? BT recently announced the availability of a blog for its business customers, and in San Antonio, Texas, an AT&T blog invites discussions and feedback on the company’s new U-verse services (www.uverseusers.com). With the number of blogs on the Internet doubling every six to seven months, it seems obvious that Scoble and Israel are right when they say that businesses cannot afford to wait this phenomenon out.

—Lona Dallessandro