Very interesting - Blog Marketing and Naked Conversations are priced the same. Blog Marketing is written by Jeremy Wright - you remember him right? My old podcasting buddy. :)

Amazon wisely has the option to purchase both books on each book’s site, and that is my suggestion. Buy both books. Why? Because they give different perspectives. For $32.94 it’s worth it.

*No affiliate links in this post.*

One issue I had with the blog is that the majority of the posts were written by a blogger who was relatively new to the game. Josh has three characters between level 30-35 and three other characters ranging in level from 13-25. Josh says:

“One thing I am NOT - an uber level 60 hardcore raid/guild fanatic. I am here to provide you my perspective of the game, as I play it.”

Why is this a problem? The majority of the posts were written by someone who would not be considered an authority on the game. The readers would have more knowledge than the writer and that is not a good position to be in. Writers need to be authorities on the topic they are writing about. The content needs to be accurate.

This does not mean there isn’t a place for Josh on the site. In my opinion, there is a definite appeal to a non-hardcore gamer writing and sharing their experience for casual players. It is common for hardcore gamers to write in a fashion new players do not understand. However, it should be very clear that Josh is inexperienced and the majority of the content should not be from an inexperienced player.

Comments are mixed on this. Many people enjoyed Josh’s writing. More experienced players realized immediately Josh was somewhat inexperienced and called him on it. From a business stand point this blog has to compete with gaming sites that do have “pros” writing for them. Something has to change.

Weblogs, Inc. is correcting their mistake. Via Blog Network Watch, I found out the hunt is on for experienced WoW players:

“You must submit three writing samples with your application — without them, we simply cannot consider you. You also need to tell us about your experience with the game, how long you’ve been playing, and about your main character(s) and alts if you run them (class/race/rank/professions).”

Nice improvement. There is only one problem…is the person hiring a gamer? If not, the same problem can happen all over again. I can present many people who are level 60, have been in the game since launch and would not be sufficient for blogging. Finding qualified bloggers for business purposes (blog networks, companies, etc) is a topic that I will discuss many times. It is a difficult task, just like finding the right employee.

I commend Weblogs, Inc. for attempting to find a better balance between a casual gamer sharing experiences and an authority on the subject. If you think you are qualified, apply…and good luck!

Go ahead and bellyache about blogs. But you cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they’re simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they’re going to shake up just about every business — including yours. It doesn’t matter whether you’re shipping paper clips, pork bellies, or videos of Britney in a bikini, blogs are a phenomenon that you cannot ignore, postpone, or delegate. Given the changes barreling down upon us, blogs are not a business elective. They’re a prerequisite. (And yes, that goes for us, too.)

And Business Week has a blog - Blogspotting.net

It’s like a website. You have to have one because everyone else does. It may make a small difference if yours is better than everyone else’s, but for non-web-based products, no one makes purchasing decisions based on your website.

I drive a Nissan Frontier. I’ve never even been to Nissan’s website.

Interesting position but he does think blogging is important. Why? It helps clarify ideas. This part I agree with. The importance of business blogs - I think this will greatly depend on the product/service provided.

In the Nissan example, I have to admit I agree, I’d probably purchase a car without going to the website because normally websites do not have the information I’m looking for - neutral reviews on the product/service. A blog can change this. Most people (especially when purchasing big ticket items) do some research. In the case of a car, there a test drive is definitely in order. However, a smart purchaser will want to know how the car holds up over time. How is customer service? What’s the average price? These are details a smart purchaser wants to know before entering negotiations. While Googling, wouldn’t it be great if the blog came up and you (as the purchaser) could see positive and negative comments about the car, along with feed back from company representative addressing these issues?

Do you think this type of interaction will assist you in making an informed purchasing decision?

“Blogs are a way for you to tell your story over and over again, and do it in a personable way. If you are blogging and your competitor down the street is not, then it can be a competitive advantage,” said Paul Chaney, principal of Radiant Marketing group, a blogging consultant firm focused on small businesses.

That doesn’t mean it will be easy for small businesses to implement blogs in their marketing strategies. The article states percentages on the credibility of blogs compared to television or radio. Blogging is definitely the cheapest of the three mediums for marketing and obviously has more longevity in that the articles posted to the blog are there as long as the blog is online and can be easily found. If you miss the commercial on TV or the radio, you missed it.

My basic premise is that technology changes so quickly that the more precise you are, the more likely your policy will be outdated and be difficult to interpret in the future. My second premise is that the ways you want people to behave seldom change. My third premise is that if people understand what the risks and dangers are, they will tend to make good decisions. You are free to disagree with any of those premises.

To me, then, a good policy should be based on setting out your core principles (don’t break the law; don’t put key systems or information at risk; behave like you are in a work environment, not a frat house) and setting out the most important rules. Then, you put serious effort into training people how to use technology in ways that do not violate those principles and rules.

The excerpt above was from the second part of the Blogging Policies - Not Only Legal Issues series. Read Part One, then read Part 2.

Dennis is right, when it comes to blogging policies the legalities is one part of the problem. Getting employees to read, understand and comply with the policy is a larger challenge.

“How do I create a budget for creating, marketing and operating a web site?” - Arthur Doglione

One of the responses:

1. Identify the objectives for your site, what you want people to do when they visit it. Map out the steps you want them to take based on how people make purchasing decisions.

This is very important. It amazes me how many business blogs (which is a website) have an expectation from their users but they don’t have the tools available so their users can fulfill their expectation. Let’s use GM Blogs as an example (a good example):

1) They encourage interaction with their users by allowing comments and trackbacks. Don’t expect your users to email comments, make it easy for them.
2) They encourage further interaction by allowing trackbacks. They want their users to write about them and they want to know what’s been written.
3) They stay on topic.
4) They make it easy to find information by giving the user several options to view the information.

See my point here? Users are able to interact and provide valuable feedback which hopefully will result in better cars being made and happy customers because they are getting what they want.

One thing I wish GM would do is respond and interact more with users. Respond to comments. It’s important that users realize their words are being heard. Right now GM is having a one-sided conversation. I think it’s a great business blog example but it would be excellent if the conversation wasn’t so one sided.

Business Marketing Blog discusses four other tips for creating a budget for building and marketing a site. If this subject appeals to you, give it a read, especially #4.