3 Must-Read Books For Bloggers
By Jim Estill
A lot of bloggers read blogs, but there are also some
very
valuable books out there on blogging. The three books
that I
recommend for bloggers are "Blog!" by David Kline and
Dan
Burstein, "The Corporate Blogging Book" by Debbie Weil,
and
"Naked Conversations" by Shel Israel and Robert Scoble.
1. "Blog!: How the newest revolution is changing
politics,
business and culture" by David Kline and Dan Burstein.
This book talks of the power and influence of blogs. It
uses
political examples. Through these examples we can learn
what
good blogging is (honest, open) and what it is not
(poorly
written, blatant marketing). It talks about freedom of
the
press and countries and companies that try to suppress
blogs.
It also warns and gives examples of blogs that share
insider or
confidential information and what happens.
To quote from it: “most people or at least most of the
media’s
coverage of business issues in blogging are missing the
fact
that the real excitement here is not how much money
business
can make from blogging, but how dramatically blogging
will
reshape the world of business from top to bottom and
create new
sources of competitive advantage for firms that learn
how to use
this new medium intelligently… Bloggers not only tend to
be more
passionate about their interests and hobbies than other
people,
they also have marketplace influence far beyond their
numbers.”
This is a highly inspirational read for anyone who
blogs. We
live in revolutionary times and as bloggers (and blog
readers)
we
see history being made. We are truly cutting edge.
The world
is changing before our eyes.
As A. J. Liebling, a great 20th century journalist,
said:
“Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.”
With
blogs, anyone can.
2. "The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything
You Need
to Know to Get it Right" by Debbie Weil. |
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Debbie is one of the pioneers of corporate blogging. She
is not
only an advocate but she explains the pros and cons of
corporate
blogs.
A section from the book: "Blogs are a key enabler of
this new
way of talking with customers, employees, the media and
other
constituencies. Packaged, filtered, controlled
conversation are
out. Open, two-way, less-than-perfect communications
with your
customers and employees are in….Listen, learn, debate,
be
willing to change, admit mistakes, be equals, with your
children, be fair to others with whom you have an
adversarial
relationship. Acting like a dictator will get you
nowhere."
She has top 20 questions about corporate blogging and in
one of
those she talks about the three most important things to
know
before starting blogging. The book also has good
examples of
blogging policies.One of her points is savvy bloggers
read
other blogs. My advice is the simplest way to do this is
to
subscribe to them.
One concept that she talks about is citizen journalist
and
citizen media. Blogs are a new media and it is run by
the
citizens. Blogger Halley Suitt explains, "The word PR
will be
gone; the word blog will be gone. Your employees will be
your
ad agency and your customers will be your back-up ad
agency"
3. "Naked Coversations:How Blogs are Changing the Way
Businesses Talk with Customers" by Shel Israel and
Robert
Scoble
This is an excellent book. I am passionate about
business
blogs. I truly believe they have value for a business.
The book
re-affirms this. "Naked Coversations" is easy to read,
fast and
well organized. It combines advice on blogging (and why
blogs
help companies) with stories of real bloggers.
| Blogs have dangers but those dangers tend to be
overrated. Not
blogging is a greater danger. As I have said many times,
blogs
are a new media. Companies that ignore it do so at great
peril.
At the same time, blogs cannot be blatant self or
company promotion - readers (and other bloggers see
right through that and can decimate a company). |
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that and can decimate a company).
How do I know if a book is good? If I make a change as a
result. I turned off word verification on my blog to
make it
easier to comment (I still review all comments and don't
let
spam through but am trying to make it easier to have a
conversation). I get twice as many emails as comments on
my
blog as a result of my blog. The book drives home that
comments
and conversations are good.
I also know a book is good if I buy multiple copies for
people
that I think should read it. And in this case I did.
All three of these books, "Blog!" by David Kline and Dan
Burstein, "The Corporate Blogging Book" by Debbie Weil,
and
"Naked Conversations" by Shel Israel and Robert Scoble
should
be read by anyone who has a blog or anyone interested in
blogging.
About The Author: Jim Estill is the CEO of SYNNEX
Canada. He is
an active blogger at http://www.jimestill.com
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