Every time I hear the term “corporate blog,” a chill goes down my spine. To me, blogs represent the worst of everything in writing: Self-indulgence and lack of editing. This is doubly true of company-sponsored blogs: It’s hard to tell a supervisor his/her writing ain’t cutting it.
Furthermore, blogs that are unaffiliated with traditional journalism tend not to hold with the same industry ethics as news publications. Nobody benefits from that: not the readers, who are faced with credibility gaps; not the subjects, who can be irresponsibly portrayed; and not reporters who take their ethics seriously. Talk about dilution of the brand!
So my spine quivered when Direct launched a blog for the Direct Marketing Association’s annual conference in Atlanta. Not because of the above: Our writers know to keep the self-indulgence, if not at a minimum, then entertaining. And the same responsible journalism practices Direct’s reporters bring to the flagship magazine and e-newsletters do, and will continue to, apply.
My concern was twofold: First, would DMA conference attendees find the time during the day to log on periodically and read a blog? And (in keeping with the conference’s Atlanta location) would non-attendees frankly give a damn? Second, would the act of hosting a blog automatically lump us in with the lowest of the form?
A week into our experiment, I’m mollified. Every evening’s edition of Direct Newsline contains the hard news from the show. The blog (http://blog.directmag.com/dma05) combines information with wit, snark and color in a separately marked (and, to my mind, value-enhanced) package. Reaction, both written and verbal, has been both voluminous and positive.
Best of all, posting in a conference-related blog allows our independent voices to be heard. At a time when the DMA has become increasingly invested in producing its own media, this function becomes ever more valuable.
Please read it, and let me know what you think.
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