Blogging The Google Way
Posted on | July 29, 2010 | No Comments
I just finished listening to a presentation by Karen Wickre, Google’s Senior Manager of Corporate Communications, about Blogging the Google Way. With these kinds of presentations one is never quite sure what to expect but I did find some food for thought here.
Google doesn’t employ a full time blogger for any subject, people get paid to do their job and part of that job sometimes includes a blog. If it works for Google, why doesn’t it work for the rest of us?
One thing that Karen said that hit home was that if the blog feels like a homework assignment that you will tend to put off, then maybe blogging isn’t for you. It becomes one more task in a crowded week and the tone of the blog will show that. If you are uninspired, how can you inspire your readers?
She then went on to say that blogging can be fun and whimsical at times. Small companies especially can post about the culture of the company, like “Donut Friday” or other humorous topics and include pictures. Other times, the posts will be longer and more focused on a topic of interest to your industry and community. Posting about news items works as well. If someone is making a presentation somewhere, announce it on the blog. If the company wins an award, let people know about it on the blog. If you are changing business direction, or have a PR issue that develops, discuss it in a post or two. Invite your community to weigh in on these topics.
On the Google blogs, there are also many writers. No blog is owned by just one employee. There are established guidelines and best practices that they follow, and someone who thinks like an editor who manages the whole thing. There is no one with sole editing responsibilities. Suggestions are made along the way on a topic or a post that is circulated internally prior to posting, but each author is responsible for their own posts.
At Dinkum, we understand the SEO benefits of blogging. We know the value of building a community and keeping our community informed and engaged, and we teach that to our clients as well. It was good to hear Karen Wikre from Google expound on some of this information, and also that Google follows the same guidelines and principles in their blogging campaigns that we consider important.
How is blogging working out at your company? Have you run into the “blogging as homework” dilemma? And Rick, how about Donut Fridays?
Regina Sillitti is Project Coordinator for Dinkum Interactive. She has worked in programming, design, business analysis and quality assurance. Her background in design and data processing give her a unique perspective on client – tech translation. You can reach her at regina@dinkuminteractive.com.
Tags: blog content > blog writing > blogging > blogging and community building > blogging and SEO > blogging tips
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