If the 45% of NYU students represent the Millennial cohort (see Bite Size Media), then what does it say for blogs? A quick scan through Forbes’ best blogs as well as the Best Blogs You Are Not Reading reveal a lack of corporate run blogs. However, 8% of the companies that appear on the Fortune 500 maintain a blog. The run down includes the obvious like Google and Microsoft and the not so obvious like Boeing and General Motors.
What is the meaning of the mixed message? Millennials may not read blogs but companies devote significant resources to them. Who is reading corporate run blogs? GM’s suppliers? Intermediate customers? Competitors? Do companies now need a blog to appear credible?
Readers praise D.C. Sports Bog, a blog run by the Washington Post, but others wonder if Malcolm Gladwell has dumped his blog. Is the blog’s value created when it serves as a forum or venue for people with higher levels of enduring involvement? The comments sections for Everyday Should Be Saturday and Autoblog illustrate the power of enduring involvement in a product category.
Does the value of the blog come as a new aggregator about a specific topic like Millennials?
Blogs can be profitable and interesting to the masses if you consider Slate a blog or Instapundit interesting. Heck, blogging can lead to a job.
ESPN is looking for people to blog presumably about sports (FYI: as hiring processes go, the ESPN hiring process is a lot of fun).
Irony alert: Wal-Mart hires people who run blogs. If said blogger took a job at Wal-Mart AND blogged about life at the Bentonville Behemoth, how quickly would Wal-Mart fire them? End of the day? By lunch? At the start of the work day? Given how much Wal-Mart values its secrecy, I picture said blogger meeting the same fate as Adriana 
after the FBI flipped her (Youtube video linked here).
32 responses so far ↓
risam1 // April 15, 2007 at 3:30 pm |
Today, there are more ways that people can represent self to others. People need to be careful how to represent, especially on the internet because we don’t know whom we are communicating with. Blogs are sometimes supposed to be personal, but have a tremendous power. You can communicate with hundreds of people at once, and they are all sorts of people. The reader might be your future boss or maybe the current boss. Companies want to know who the candidate really is before they hire him/her. I have read an article about a young new employee who was fired a few weeks later because his blog had some bad things. Sorry, I cannot recall what he wrote… I thought then blogs are not personal any more. Reading a company’s blog would be effective for job interviews. Blogs can be portfolios, too. Forums can create a business network because people have high enduring involvement. Thus, value of blogs can be very high if we use them properly.
http://risamorijapan.wordpress.com/
ctirey // April 16, 2007 at 8:30 am |
This is my first experience with blogs and I have to say that I don’t feel the need for others to know my opinion on a lot of these things. I could see using a blog to gather information about the feeling of the general public on some issues but for the most part I don’t think I would feel like contributing. Blogging has a lot of growing to do most people with facebook and myspace are really blogging in a different way by posting their information and affliations they can come across as the person they want to be perceived as. Business blogs I would think would be useful for solving problems you might have with the product with solutions from the company and other customers.
charlese1 // April 16, 2007 at 12:51 pm |
I think blogging can be very beneficial for anyone in the business world. Millennials have a hard time blogging because we are so used to television and things as such that we can’t even take the time to do a little reading and writing. However, I feel that millennials will start utilizing this new tool do to the vast number of job opportunities in the world today. The amount of information available on blogs for jobs and other organizations is too important to pass up. I think it is no coincidence that so many fortune 500 company’s use the blogging system. Other company’s need to follow lead and improve their business by blogging also. Blogging is a dangerous thing as well that could ruin certain businesses that are extremely private about the information they provide. If these businesses aren’t careful information could be leaked to tons of people. Overall, I think blogging is a very useful tool for the business world and people need to take advantage of this information channel.
elizabethb1 // April 16, 2007 at 6:59 pm |
I disagree with some about the usefulness of blogging. I see blogging as another channel for people to run their mouths about issues I could really care less about. Some may say it is a good way to interact with others and find out what they are thinking. Personally I don’t care, and if I really need to know about a certain topic, I will go buy a book. I have read that some blog post can lead to getting a job or other things, but I think that some people could get themselves into some difficult situations if their employer read their post. I am sure in some ways blogging could be helpful, like helping with problems or seeing what others think. For the most part I dont see how much we can gain from blogging.
lynsmith // April 17, 2007 at 9:34 am |
This is my first blogging experience. I have tried so desperately hard to avoid the area of communication. I understand why people feel useing a blog is important. There are aspects where it is. For instance, in this class I would not have any participation points even though I have opinions on subject matter. I assume that in the work place there will be situations there too that blogs are important. Maybe if the employer wanted feedback from employees, a blog would work in that case. Another instance would be if there was vital information that needs to be sent out or new news developements. The bottom line is that for the most part I feel that they are pointless. Some blogs are used for personal reasons. When people read those opinions or thoughts it is much like reading someone’s diary. Sometimes it feels awkward to know such views or personal information about a person. I also don’t see or understand what we as students can gain from blogs. I do not read other students postings except for maybe the one above mine. That is only because I get distracted easily. If someone wants to know my opinion I would be more than happy to let them know how I feel about a topic or situation. Typing it out is not me and that is why I do not like blogs.
lexib2 // April 17, 2007 at 2:15 pm |
I think of blogging as more of a personal hobby. Many people like to stay politically active, and feel the only way their voice could be heard is by blogging about it. It is a low key activity that doesn’t take much effort in getting to voice your opinions. Writing a letter to congress requires time for good penmanship, an envelope, and a stamp/ post office visit. A blog complaint only requires a keyboard/ computer and internet. However; just like many people like to journal their thoughts and feelings, others don’t release in that form. Some people would rather get together with a class or group of friends and talk via phone or in person about certain issues. Do I think that blogging could be detrimental to a fellow bloggers job or other safety? Yes, yes I do. Since the internet is a public communication system, the blogger must keep in mind what they are saying and by whom it is getting read. I see from the other point of view as well, and how blogging could be beneficial to help gain opinions from fellow workers and in gaining new and novel ideas. I think the number one thing to remember about blogging is that it is a public form of communication, and therefore; should be used like one.
meascott // April 17, 2007 at 2:21 pm |
I think that blogging is to impresonal now adays. The internet has stripped our privacy, and when you state everything that happens to your throughout the day on a blog you loose a sense of individuality. I understand that it is your choice to put everything online for people to read but I mean can you not sit in a group of people and talk about your day rather than post it?? I do on the other hand believe that blogging can be used in a positive way in the business world. For instance, it makes it easier to communicate between colleagues. I think that people often forget that blogging in publick domain which means that anyone is able to track your life etc. This is a point that people need to realize when applying for jobs, nothing is private if its online.
amandaj1 // April 17, 2007 at 9:01 pm |
I think that Blogging has not come into it’s prime yet. While it is growing in popularity at a fast pace, I don’t believe that many Americans utilize “the blog” at this point in time. Therefore, I do think it is important for companies like ESPN to maintain a Blog and hire people to control it. Because the sports industry is something a majority of Americans enjoy and is the topic of most face-to-face communications, it makes sense to put those topics on the ESPN website to promote its company. On the other hand, companies like General Motors will most likely not profit from blogging as of this time.
evaughan2 // April 17, 2007 at 10:00 pm |
I agree with Amanda when she says that blogging hasn’t come into its prime yet. I have to say that before this class I have never blogged and I know that there are millions of people that haven’t blogged as well. I think it is a great thing and will become alot bigger with time. Since blogging connects so many people who have a similar interest it’s very valuable, but at the same time I don’t see certain companies benefiting from their own blogs. Anyone can read and write on these things and thats not always a positive thing. As we have said in class about the generation gaps and that this next generation won’t remember the dial-up internet, I also think by that time, blogging will also be a common thing to everyone and all companies and big interests will have to have one to keep up.
emilys1 // April 18, 2007 at 9:43 am |
This is the first time I have been introduced with blogging and I personally do not enjoy it. I think blogging is still fairly new and not many people are involved with it yet. Even though I dont enjoy it I think it is beneficial. I think certain companies can really benefit from using blogs. Blogging allows you to really see what other people think about certain issues. If I owned by own company I would have a blog so I could see how my customers were reacting to my product or service. Right now blogging is still fairly new so companies are not using it very much but because of the growing service industry I really think that companies will use blogging as an important tool in the near future.
travish1 // April 18, 2007 at 9:59 am |
A company does not need to run a blog to be credible. But they use corporate money and resources to make the extra effort to extend there graditude in order to make sure that their customers are satisfied. Basically a blog can be used for the customer to follow up or potential customers to ask question about the company that they can not find on their website. Usually the blog consists of people constantly updating it and answering questions so in that respect there is always someone there to help someone if the occasion ever needed. Blogs are a good way to also for the company itself to do self evualtion in order to see what it is lacking and improve upon itself with.
koltb2 // April 18, 2007 at 10:54 am |
I honestly was not aware big companies like Boeing and General Motors had blogs. Before reading this article I thought of blogging as more of a personal means of communication. I have used blogs in other classes and found it interesting how much you can learn from others. Although I am not the biggest fan of blogging, I think it is a great way to see the world from different perspectives.
julianneb1 // April 18, 2007 at 11:42 am |
I think blogging is the new way of getting noticed or at least feeling like your getting noticed. I understand company blogs better because you can find out alot about a company and their services if you read their blogs to find out what’s going on and what customers think of them. However, personal blogs don’t seem to be much except putting your “laundry out to dry”. Why do you want everyone to know what’s going on in your life? It’s just a way to make yourself feel “famous”.
troutknoxville // April 18, 2007 at 12:09 pm |
I understand why people are going crazy about blogging but I have this feeling that it will probably calm down after something new and better comes out. I enjoy reading blogs, but most of he blogs I read are about cars, funny stuff, and this blog. I don’t like blogging because I know people don’t want to read what I am writing, and I really don’t have too much important to say. The only reason I am doing this is because I desperately need the points.
ricardoc2 // April 18, 2007 at 12:48 pm |
Blogs are an essential tool to expose interests, feelings, and personal views towards different topics. I believe that blogs can be a company’s best friend due to the fact that it gives informal information about its customers and suppliers. This is helpful because businesses can solve or prevent problems that exist inside and outside the business. Personal blogs is an interesting way to display your views and thoughts to the rest of the world. People of the same views can come together and share their thoughts. I believe that blogs is just a high tech way of sharing personal or corporate views and is beneficial in a communication sense.
gconner2 // April 18, 2007 at 2:06 pm |
Blogs can be useful and they can be a waste of time and resources also. If used for some form of information research or to find out how others view a certain product or topic I can see how people may enjoy these blogs and find them useful. I think companies who have their own blog could actually end up hurting them, if someone was dissatisfied with their service or product and spoke this out on the companies blog site, how would that affect others and their purchase decision?
maryc1 // April 18, 2007 at 3:46 pm |
Blogging can be very useful to companies and allow for an easy cheap way to get the word out about a particular feature or new product. But I can also see how blogs could hurt you some one who has a bad experience is more likely to blog and talk negatively about your product. However I don’t think that blogs are really making any kind of difference yet. Most people don’t really use bolgs in the masses they are more of people that are really computer savvy. So I think that in the future they could be more value to customer but as of now I think that customers place more value in information that they get from other sources.
kyleb2 // April 18, 2007 at 5:18 pm |
I believe bogs are very crucial for companies. Today, the internet is every where and it is an easy way for companies to follow customers to see what they believe in and what they think about their company. I agree with some others that blogs are not that readily used yet, but I think they are beginning to grow and used more frequently. On the other hand, blogs can be crucial to companies because customers can express their feelings towards a certain retailer or manufacturer and it would be an easier way for customers to use word of mouth to get their opinion across. Overall, I believe blogs are a useful tool that companies should use more often.
jakeg2 // April 18, 2007 at 8:09 pm |
As previously mentioned, blogging is evolving. I think that some distinctions can be made between bloggers in relation to the generations discussed in class. Generation X would be more prone to use blogging more professionally than the Y generation who grew up blogging everywhere from myspace to CollegeHumor.com. This is the kind of unprofessional blogging style that people should watch out for when trying to enter the professional world and starting a career. Employers are wise to look into the internet for further investigation, and applicants should use this as a tool to further your resume. I wonder if the future of blogging will get more personal, and harder to access as employers are getting more in depth? Could be a good business to start.
brookea2 // April 19, 2007 at 12:04 am |
I am very surprised to see that major companies have blogs. However, I find blogging a bit less convienient than e-mail. In a sense it’s just another form of communication over the internet. I have personally learned a lot through blogging, but still don’t see the big deal.
Since MySpace and Facebook have come out, my generation is hooked on virtual ways of communication. I, personally, do not have a MySpace, and am not a big “Facebooker”, however, I do think it’s a good idea for employeers to look on my page to learn more about the ‘real me’. I think that the blogging, Facebook, and MySpace craze will slow down, but not in the near future. I can see this being a great start for nationwide businesses to communicate, but I still think e-mailing is more personal and efficient. I don’t like how technology is taking all the personal-contact out of communication.
tburleson1 // April 19, 2007 at 7:38 am |
I personally hate this whole blogging thing. I also hate the fact that we had to blog as part of our participation points (the points that I probably will not be receiving). People today are starting to rely on the internet entirely too much. I could see the benefits of using a blog for market research purposes. In this instance, a blog would allow the person conducting the research to collect data from different parts of the country, or even the world. As for companies using a blog, I think they are just asking for trouble. Anytime somebody puts something on the internet, there is somebody else who has nothing better to do than hack into it. In the business world, people skills are very important. If blogs become more and more common, people will begin to lack these skills. That is my take on the whole blogging issue, and this is officially my first blog ever.
bethanyh2 // April 19, 2007 at 9:12 am |
There is something about blogging that I find to be arrogant. When I am on myspace (just to make sure no one has defaced my wall), sometimes I read the blogs that people have submitted, and I am not impressed. Most of these opinion entries are not interesting, and I think I would be very presumptious to think that everyone is captivated with my thoughts on art or politics. I think it is helpful to be informed of facts or interesting anecdotes, but not the inner workings of the mind that I have been taught to keep to myself.
Also, if WalMart bloggers don’t blog about their day at work, than what the heck do they talk about? Probably Britney Spears shaving her head like everyone else in the world including those 8% of Fortune 500 companies who blog.
marcusk1 // April 19, 2007 at 8:05 pm |
In my opinion, blogging can go both ways. Blogging is definetly beneficial when it is used for informational purposes such as for school or and different classes. It is a way for individuals to ask questions and share information. I also see blogging as a tool for meeting individuals with like interests. I don’t see however the purpose for individuals who start random blogs about random things or for the use of making fun of something or somebody.
ashleyd2 // April 19, 2007 at 8:26 pm |
I think that blogging is going to become a big feature on companies websites in the future. I think that it is just now becoming something that more people are comfortable performing. This is my first time blogging, and I kind of like being able to voice my opinion about a topic, and see responses of others. I think that in the future companies will need blogging to be a crediable source/company. As for right now, if you are not Google (or another internet based company) then you don’t need blogging to be considered a legitamate company.
saraf2 // April 19, 2007 at 9:15 pm |
People are using blogging as a way to voice their opinions. This is exactly what we as a class have been doing all semester in response to the way we feel about certain articles. Many people have formed their own websites to post their own personal blog which they use as a diary. This causes problems because people as able to access it and see a persons thoughts and feelings. People don’t always have the same thoughts about certain issues and can take comments the wrong way and be hurt or angry. If an employeer knew who wrote the article and did not agree they would change their views of the person and cause conflicts at work or even fire the person without having a good reason. As a first time blogger, I am not the type of person who likes letting everybody know my thoughts and feelings, I would rather keep them in to avoid hurting people.
codyh2 // April 19, 2007 at 10:54 pm |
When blogging was first introduced to me through this class I was very apprehensive but after blogging a couple of times and reading everything people have wrote about certain topics has helped me better understand the topic along with seeing different perspectives on things. I believe blogging is a great way of communicating and learning from others about certain topics whether it be social topics about the game last night or about a new way of reaching a customer for a big sale. This topice will spread throughout the years because more fortune 500 companies will see what advantages blogging brings to the workforce. These days almost every single person is connected with a computer and communicating through the computer is the new preferred method with millennials. Since you have read this message brought by me through blogs you have learned a new perspective and a new possibility in which you could look past the privacy thing and get in the loop of business professionalism because this will be one of the preffered ways probably of communicating when I, or we, get into the business world.
wilsonh1 // April 20, 2007 at 12:55 pm |
Honestly, I am not a big fan of blogging. It is a good place for people to voice their opinion and can be a great source of information. However, I would rather talk to people in person. I do not see myself as a big internet person and this is my first experience with blogging. I do think it has been a big hit with the millions of people who do make blogging a big part of their life but this feature does not reach out to me as a consumer.
chrisc2 // April 20, 2007 at 1:00 pm |
Blogging seems to have its advantages in the business world. It is a great way for a company to get feedback on what it is they are doing right and wrong. The downside is, almost anyone can post something on there, which kind of seems like it could become a gossip median. Also, a lot of the information that is generated from a blog can’t be considered a creditable source. Who knows who is posting what? It seems that blogs are places where someone can go to vent their opinion on matters that might be important to them, but are blogs just adding more useless information to the internet for people to look at? I don’t really know. I see the benefit to personal blogging, so you can have a blog to keep distant family and friends up to date on happenings in your life. It would be much easier to have a blog to communicate to dozens of friends and family, instead of calling all of them each day. Maybe if I had a blog I could do less socializing and more studying each day!
iana1 // April 20, 2007 at 2:17 pm |
Blogging is an interesting animal. It’s kind of like a message board, but it’s not. I prefer a message board style to blogging, mainly because there are more topics that can be covered, other than just one story and just a bunch of posts about it. Blogging is good though if you just want a quick reaction to something. Just like the article talks about, blogging about sports is a good way to get information out and see what other people think about it. It’s just not something I’m used to and prefer other forms of e-communication than blogs. Just not my style.
treyk1 // April 20, 2007 at 4:04 pm |
I personally don’t like blogs. As iana1 said, I too prefer the message board format. Aside from that though, I disagree with employees being hired because of their blogs at Wal-Mart, or anywhere else that has that policy. Sure it shows they interact with others, even if it is from behind a keyboard, but like the author suggested, what happens when they post something questionable? Are they fired right away? I know I’ve come home upset about something and posted something I probably shouldn’t have, but fortunately, my posting is leisure and #1 doesn’t really matter, and #2 I can go back and edit it before anyone I work with is likely to read it, as opposed to a work sponsored blog that would likely take up a lot of an employee’s workday. Which brings me to another point: if the blog is work sponsored, how much time during the workday can one devote to blogging? I know I have lost quite a few hours to message boards. It might work well for customer complaints, but for employees it’s a waste of time and resources waiting to happen.
kathleent1 // April 20, 2007 at 10:30 pm |
I don’t know if I really like blogging. It just seems like there are too many variables that can go wrong. People could be lying about what they are posting and could possibly use it as a way of venting and in turn, it gets them in trouble. It also does not really seems like a fun or productive use of free time. And it certainly should not cut into anyones work day. I can’t image that companies really find blogging as a good source of information.
Blogs » Value of Blogs Customer Behavior @TTU // March 11, 2008 at 5:10 am |
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