The Tendo View

If your workplace is experimenting with blogs, this recent study posted on the HP Labs’ site offers an interesting read (full disclosure: HP is a Tendo client).

Sarita Yardi (Georgia Institute of Technology), Scott A. Golder (Cornell University), and Michael J. Brzozowski (HP Labs) studied some corporate folks in their natural habitat to try to figure out why they blog—or not (in addition, Mia Dand, social media monitoring manager at HP, recently wrote a post for Social Computing Magazine called “To Blog or Not to Blog”).

What I found most interesting was this: Corporate bloggers “desired management buy-in. They wanted management to acknowledge and recognize their activity in this community.”

While the study referred only to the internal blogs of a “large technology corporation with offices around the world” (hint: starts with H, ends with P), it squarely fingers two huge weaknesses of many blogging programs: resources and rewards.

While blogging offers a low-cost way to communicate directly with customers, too many companies mistake it for being “no-cost.” Employees have jobs to do, after all, and they will eventually give up blogging if they aren’t given the help they need to keep going. Sometimes just offering a hand with blogging can be recognition enough that their efforts are appreciated.

Most importantly, blogging support can keep your company in the conversation with its customers with timely and interesting content.

If you’re not already doing it, here are just a few ways to support your bloggers, either with in-house resources or an outside agency:

1. Finding topics—Keeping on top of the news and trends in a field takes time and effort. A predigested list of possible blogging topics with links to news stories, other blogs, and sites of interest gives bloggers a jumpstart.
2. Editing—Few bloggers are professional writers, and don’t have to be to blog. Still, a little editorial spit-and-shine can keep your company’s image sharp while letting the blogger’s personality shine through.
3. Commenting opportunities—Half of blogging is commenting. Finding the best opportunities for commenting can drive more people to your blog and make certain your company is in on the right conversations.

Of course, there’s plenty more to do: Analyze metrics to glean ideas for improvements; do the legwork on incorporating new tools into bloggers’ repertoires (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube come to mind); syndicate, whether by RSS feed or through a site that deals with your industry. Whatever form it takes, offer your employees a helping hand to blog. And don’t forget to give them a hand when they do. I like dark chocolate, myself.