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March 30, 2006
And Another Thing
By Charlie Kondek
In my last post I wrote about AND. I said bloggers write about one or two subjects AND – as in, "My blog is about guitars, sailing, Web 2.0, plantsmanship, hard-to-find tequilas AND whatever else I can think of."
Usually that "and" means comments on current events or other interesting happenings, but it also means bloggers frequently mix up the personal, sometimes deeply personal, with their other blog categories.
I mention this because here at Hass MS&L we believe not just in reaching out to bloggers on behalf of our clients but in sustaining relationships with bloggers. We know several whom I refer to as "friendly bloggers," people we talk to again and again on a number of projects, and I enjoy the professional relationship I have with them. We don't only talk shop. It's not unheard of to toss an "lol" into the correspondence, or to ask after each other's kids.
But that doesn't mean I know everything about them. In fact, sometimes I miss something important they mentioned on their blog. Part of sustaining these relationships with them means taking time to read their blogs, and to know when it's a good time to back off from a pitch.
After all, how would you like it if you just got finished posting about, say, the death of the family pet, or your divorce, or a medical scare, and then you got an e-mail from me along the lines of: "Hi, Blogger! Long time no talk to. Say, would you like to try Brand X?"
Posted by staff at March 30, 2006 03:51 PM
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Comments
"sustaining relationships with bloggers"
That's dead-on. And, that's the fun and very interesting thing about blogging and working with bloggers. Unlike traditional reporters/editors -- who expect to be pitched and are paid to be part of the media -- bloggers usually are not. Mostly, bloggers are every-day people who have a passion about a subject or subjects.
So, you really do have to get to know your blogger audience and develop true relationships with them; often going into personal and other topics. Much more so than you would with traditional media contacts -- because the relationship -- almost more so than the information you provide -- plays a greater role in your success. And that's where things like honesty, transparency, integrity, etc. really come into play.
-- Mike
Posted by: Mike Driehorst at March 30, 2006 07:50 PM
On the flip side, if you write your own blog (or advise a CEO writing his/her blog), it helps to set peramaters around what you choose to cover about yourself.
For instance, I write a finacial blog, and keep my posts limited to topics related to my income, career and spending habits. I do not delve into personal relationships, and keep plenty of personal details private.
In this way, I'm able to share my knowledge on a subject, stay focused and yet keep a line between my blog and myself. Chances are, not that many people are coming to my site to read about my personal relationships anyway.
Posted by: Nicole at April 6, 2006 03:16 PM
Thanks for your comments, guys.
Posted by: Charlie at May 11, 2006 11:06 AM
