• Drag and drop (we have this)
• Easy (ditto)
• Publish to any type of blog (pretty much)
• Categories, categories, categories (we're almost there)
• Tweak post properties
• Spell check before posting (spell check, yes, auto before posting, no)
• Blog signatures
• Tweak HTML
• Easy Technorati tagging

I picked up from C|Net yesterday this really good article by Juan Cole on blog advertising (aka blog-vertising)--Blogs- The next big thing for advertisers?--and it's sibling article on Juan's own site--Informed Comment-Blog-Casting and the Future of Blog Advertising.  In both these articles Juan talks about the power of blogs in advertising.  He talks about the formation of blog ad networks--he uses the example of Liberal blogs--as the next force in advertising.  His main point is that advertisers want to broadcast their ads--that is cast the widest net possible to hit their demographic.  Kinda like seeing laundry detergent ads during Star Trek, the bet is somebody's spouse might be watching (yes, I'm generalizing that men watch Star Trek and women do laundry, I fully know is a gross over generalization since I've always done the laundry in my house).  But Juan missed a huge opportunity though.  He points out that blogs have niche audiences, and niche audiences are small, but, as an advertiser wouldn't you want to advertise to your narrow target demographic?  Don't waste money on ads in places where only a small portion of the audience are your target, advertise where a large portion are your audience.  Yes, advertisers don't want to be inundated with requests for ads and sponsorships from very blog on the planet.  So I do agree that blog ad networks are very important.  For small, local, businesses, though I think a local, popular blog can be very cost effective in generating ad impressions, clicks, and sales.  Niche blogs are the real advertising gold mine.  Focus specific ads on specific blogs for specific products.  Coffee on a coffee blog, Beer on a micro brew blog, digital camera things in a digital photography blog.

In a word- "Overheads".

1. A blogvertising campaign needs three things: an engaging blogger, an internet connection, and the cost of getting eyeballs in front of the homepage.

2. A traditional advertising campaign needs all sort of expensive stuff. Besides the expensive media and the insanely expensive production (they only REALLY want to sell you TV, let's stop kidding ourselves), it has to pay for an advertising agency, the agency's payroll (with all those lovely back-room jobs), the agency's rent on the fancy office in downtown Manhattan, the fancy designer furniture that fills the office etc etc.

3. The latter's final list is very long and all of it is insanely expensive. And unlike the blogvertising overheads, none of it is getting any cheaper.

There's another three points to consider:

1. There has to be authenticity and genuine alignment, or else it won't work. What the advertiser is doing and what I'm doing has to be somehow in sympatico, or else it's just like traditional advertising- useless, overpriced, interruptive, huckstering slush.

2. Juxtaposing my ideas with the advertiser's ideas inform both parties' agendae, so the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Working with gapingvoid made English Cut more fertile, and vice versa. Same with Thingamy and Stormhoek with myself. Two plus two equals five etc.

3. This allows me to actually test The Hughtrain in real life, not just write about it in theory.

...or why you shouldn't blog tired at 10:30 PM.  Last night I felt compelled to write about Paul's post--this should've been a warning sign--and this is what I cranked out-- Moving blogs beyond the hype.  A good friend kindly pointed out to me that he didn't like the post.  Okay, fine, no problem.  The problem is that he didn't like it because I didn't express myself well enough to get my point across.  I won't say he misinterpreted it, because if you read the post, yeah, I blew it.

 In a word- "Overheads".

1. A blogvertising campaign needs three things: an engaging blogger, an internet connection, and the cost of getting eyeballs in front of the homepage.
2. A traditional advertising campaign needs all sort of expensive stuff. Besides the expensive media and the insanely expensive production (they only REALLY want to sell you TV, let's stop kidding ourselves), it has to pay for an advertising agency, the agency's payroll (with all those lovely back-room jobs), the agency's rent on the fancy office in downtown Manhattan, the fancy designer furniture that fills the office etc etc.
3. The latter's final list is very long and all of it is insanely expensive. And unlike the blogvertising overheads, none of it is getting any cheaper.

Paul Chaney is trying to do an amazing balancing act with his article--Blogs: Beyond the Hype!in response to a USA Today article.  I mean Paul and I are just a tad biased.  We're both old Internet marketing hands and both trying to make a living via the blogosphere (as consultants, writers, and in software).  So it could be easily said that we're going to promote--maybe over promote--blogs to our benefit.  Fair enough.

• Search Engine Marketing - Blogs give you an increased presence on major search engines like Google and Yahoo
• Direct Communications - Blogs provide a way for you to speak directly and honestly with your customer
• Brand Building - Blogs serve as another channel to put your brand in front of the customer
• Competitive Differentiation - Because blogs give you the opportunity to tell your story over and over, they help set you apart from the competition
• Relational Marketing - Blogs allow you to build personal, long-lasting relationships with your customer that foster trust
• Exploit the Niches - Blogs help you fill your particular industry niche
• Media & Public Relations - Blogs are excellent PR tools. The media calls you, not your competition
• Reputation Management - Blogs enable you to manage your online reputation
• Position You as Expert - Blogs enable you to articulate your viewpoints, knowledge, and expertise on matters pertaining to your industry.
• Intranet & Project Management - Blogs make great, easy-to-use applications for internal communications within an organization. This may be one of the least well-known and underutilized areas of blogs.

All good points.  But what about the hype-o-meter?  Isn't it starting to edge into the yellow, maybe even the red, zone as far as blogs are concerned?  Yep, it is.  It is because too many people are mistaking blogging the activity--writing and communication--for blogging the technology--easy personal publishing.  Look, I love blogging.  I love writing.  What let's me do this is the technology.  As a blog consultant what I stress for clients is the ease of personal publishing.  In spite of what you might think I think, I believe that blogging is going to fizzle out in a couple years.  Most folks are going to grow weary of writing everyday.  Real life is going to intercede.  However, who will remain are people like me and Paul, and others (far too many to mention them all here) who a) write because they like to and b) have something to say that people want to read (or hear).  We are, as we speak, creating the next generation of syndicated columnists and pundits and it is the technology of blogs that makes this possible.

So how does this jive with what I do as Larix Consulting, as Qumana Services, as Qumana Software?  Easily.  I help clients learn to use the technology to publish their thoughts, opinions, and just plain old information themselves.  No web designer who decides to take his first vacation in three years at the moment you have a major announcement coming up.  No endless, and costly, rounds of edits.  Just write.  Just publish.  Sure spend some money on a really nice template.  Maybe invest in a license for Moveabletype instead of a hosted service.  Fine.  The bottom line is that you're publishing and you're doing it yourself.  That is the revolution.  That is what is going to make a difference.  That is why blogs are changing everything.  That is why I blog.

[Also published on View from the Isle]

Numbers Don't Dominate the Blogosphere, Communication Does

Without a doubt Yahoo and Microsoft are giants and they shake things up when they step. BUT I'm unconvinced that their dominance will result in the demise of services like a Six Apart.

 

I believe they (the big guns) can and will grow huge numbers of users that may dwarf the number of users that Six Apart or BlogHarbor and any other hosted service may be able to accumulate by comparison. But that doesn't mean blogosphere dominance is determined by sheer number and volume of users. A key question I have is can IM brand loyalty be effectively translated into blog hosting service brand loyalty long term? Maybe but I still don't think the means blogosphere domination. MSN Spaces is backed by the biggest software company on the planet and what has the impact of MSN Spaces been on the dominate veteran fee-based blog hosting services?

 

The blogosphere will be dominated by the best content and top quality bloggers that build a connection with a loyal audience no matter what platform is being used. However the platforms that offer the most flexibility and power will get used by serious bloggers more often, with brand loyalty sprinkled in there a bit also while the services like Yahoo 360 and MSN Spaces appear to cater to the youth oriented journalers of the blogosphere. Their limited flexibility and feature sets will make them attractive to the more serious bloggers.

Like any activity there are hobbyists and professionals.  Their choice of tools differ greatly.  A hobbyist will usually start off with less expensive tools with fewer features, maybe lower quality as well.  But as hobbyists become more serious about their pursuit and start on the path of becoming professionals, they start upgrading.  Blogs are really no different.  People might start out with MSN Spaces, Yahoo360, or Blogger, but wind up with Blogware, Bryght, or Typepad when they are ready for the power, flexibility--like your own domain--, and features.  T.L. also describes it correctly that the intro services will be great for people who are journaling--is that really blogging, I don't know--and in my opinion if that gets kids to write more, I'm all for it.

Last week at the Bio-IT World Expo Eric Gerritsen (a fellow Canadian but living in Boston) and Simon Darby of Christchurch NZ officially launched Biopeer-- Biopeer Blog Debuts at Bio-IT World Expo May 18.  I'm, of course, writing for Biopeer and helping Eric and Simon on the ins and outs of the blogosphere.  Interestingly the other primary writer for Biopeer, Pamela Clarke, is not only Canadian, but also located in B.C.  Just goes to prove, again, that the best bloggers are B.C. Bloggers!

• Blog strategy
• Blog consultation/training/coaching/mentoring
• Blog setup and customization (using the blogging platforms Blogware, Bryght, and others)
• Professional blog writing services on virtually any topic

If you are interested in a blog for your company contact Tris (tris AT qumana DOT com) or Arieanna (arieanna AT qumana DOT com) for a free half hour consultation.