Uncorporate Communications

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E-mailing, IMing, and blogging, oh my!

The American Management Association and The ePolicy Institute have released results from the 2006 Workplace E-Mail, Instant Messaging & Blog Survey.  The survey discusses stats on both work- and personal-related e-mailing, IMing, and blogging, and the policies that companies have in place, or, more importantly, the policies they still need to put in place.  Find the press release from the AMA here.

Blogging buzz over GM vs. NY Times

General Motors has already proven itself with its Fastlane blog, in reference to its ability to generate an online buzz about the company and general brand awareness.  GM has again gone above-and-beyond in proving the power of the blog in their recent "feud" with the New York Times. Get the details from this article, which gives a good overview...even if they also quote the JupiterResearch "study." ;)

Update on the JupiterResearch "study"

As I mentioned shortly before, some of the "facts" from the JupiterResearch corporate blogging survey seemed a bit off...Turns out there is a fairly large discussion taking place over the press release and the survey findings.  Many are seeking out the truth.  Check out the info here.

JupiterResearch corporate weblog survey

Findings from the JupiterResearch study on corporate blogging:

• 35 percent of large companies plan to institute corporate Weblogs this year. Combined with the existing deployed base of 34 percent, nearly 70 percent of all site operators will have implemented corporate blogs by the end of 2006.
• Only 32 percent of marketing executives said they use corporate Weblogs to generate WoM around their company's products or services.
• 64 percent of executives spend less than $500,000 to deploy and manage corporate Weblogs.

Oddly, I had just happened upon a statistic that stated that the perecentage of companies using corporate blogs was way less.  But certainly the interesting part is that 64 percent of executives spend less than $500,000 on their blogs.  This is news to me that one would agree to spend more than $500,000!

The alternative way to advertise

A great article, Is making drama the answer to an advertising crisis?, explores the effective ways that brands are created and endorsed on tv these days.  It's not about commercial spots interrupting your progam, but more so a commercial product that is a fluid part of your programming (The article notes a few examples, including the raised brand awareness of Manolo Blahniks because of the shoes' noticeability on Sex & the City.).  The article also makes a few hypotheses on the future of successful advertising.

New business blog directory

Technorati and Yahoo or Google Blog Search not bringing up all your business and corporate blogs?  Internet marketing firm TMA E-Marketing has created the iBlog Business Directory, with business-related categories.  The idea is certainly valid, and though the links are quite limited right now as the site has just launched, it could really develop into a useful tool.  Go take a look at the site, and there is a link to add your blog URL.

They can take our lives, but they can never take our sports commentary

While the Chinese goverment censors many media outlets in China, sports commentary blogs are apparently not one of them.  Dong Lu's Chinese World Cup site has reached the 10 million hit mark.  "In sports journalism there is relative freedom of expression and we can give our opinions about a match and other sporting issues," Dong told Reuters.  "In other fields, such as the social and political arenas, there are regulations. I've spent 10 years working in the media and I understand the line that can never be crossed." 

A great article on Web 2.0

I've just come across this article on TechNewsWorld, Web 2.0 Has Corporate America Spinning.  Author Robert Hof is from BusinessWeek Online, and covers pretty much everything that is Web 2.0 or has to do with Web 2.0.  If you're unfamiliar with the term, this is a good place to start, to learn about the applications that are the "new internet," and what kinds of business/management adaptations will be made in the near future to accomodate Web 2.0, and to keep up with it.

TimesSelect, we're not worthy

Mark Glaser, of MediaShift, has been suggesting turning New York Times columnists into bloggers.  His argument is that we shouldn't have to pay TimesSelect to get our information, and that instead of the journalists receiving their income from the TimesSelect revenues from subscriber fees, they could generate income through ad sales...Some have been pointing out his reasoning as faulty.  Would these journalists make good bloggers, and therefore actually be able to create an equal "salary" from the ads?  Or is it not even worth debating, because TimesSelect is a service worthy of pay?