MappingTheWeb //

More and more companies are replacing traditional e-newsletters with blogs. Both can be used to inform customers (and potential customers) of product updates, contests, special offers, sales, and much more. However, the benefits of a blog far outweigh the benefits of a newsletter. Don’t get wrong - I’m not saying blogs are a complete alternative to newsletters, but the possibility is worth exploring. In fact, some companies may profit from a hybrid of both. An exception to this is e-commerce companies, who can derive a lot of value from e-mail. But for the majority of companies, a blog is a much better way to go as we will see…

So, why are blogs better than newsletters?

1. Interactivity - E-mail lacks interactivity and discussion. Blogs form a powerful, 2-way conversation due to the advent of comments. 

2. Passiveness - E-mail can be invasive. Often people don’t want to be bombarded with unwanted messages. This not only creates frustration, but also wastes time.

3. Cost - Blogs are much more cost effective than newsletters. The latter requires ongoing payments to an e-mail service provider. The former simply requires man hours.

4.. Technical Knowledge - More technical knowledge is needed to publish a newsletter, including HTML and templating. Blogging barely requires word-processing skills.

5. Time - An effective newsletter takes a lot more time, effort, and planning to dispatch than a blog post.

6. Delivery - Newsletters are subject to e-mail and SPAM filters. This may prevent important information from ever reaching the intended receiver. RSS feeds are always delivered. 

7. Search Engines - Blog posts drive search traffic and bait back-links.*

8. Subscription - Ironically, people can still subscribe to blogs via e-mail! MappingTheWeb has this feature in the right sidebar.

* / Some newsletters include a link to a permanent copy online (which may include comments). I acknowledge that this contradicts my #7, but at this stage, such a tool can be classified as a blog. /

Blogs are an important form of “permission marketing” - a concept that has long been touted by Seth Godin. Newsletters follow these principles as well, but blogging take them to the next level. The benefits and advantages are clear. The ability to add a feed and access it at your leisure is a powerful thing. If this means saying goodbye to blasted e-mails and a cluttered inbox, then bring it on. Perhaps, blogs are to CDs, as newsletters are to tapes… Ya follow me?

What is your take on newsletters? Do you think blogs will replace them? Is there room in the world for both?

Most of the top technology blogs on the Internet have undergone a site redesign over the past year or so. These include Read/WriteWeb, Mashable, and GigaOM to name a few. In spite of this, arguably the most popular tech blog, TechCrunch, has yet to follow suit.

This struck me as somewhat surprisingly. Every time I return to the TechCrunch site, I expect to see a new look - but it hasn’t happened. I still think it would be a good idea to mix it up and introduce a fresh look. This would revive the look and feel of the blog.

From an opposing view, I can also see why TechCrunch would NOT want to introduce a new look. Perhaps the current design is working just fine. As they say in the old adage, ”If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. A new design might bring with it a learning curve for readers. New navigation and layout changes may create confusion. Perhaps even, TechCrunch remains focused on the content itself and other initiatives such as the Crunchies, TechCrunch 40, TechCrunch Tech President Primaries, etc… This may not leave much time for a redesign.

One last thought - maybe a redesign is underway right now and I just don’t know it. It’s a long shot but hey, I’ve surprised myself a number of times this year… 

I love Pandora. I used to use the service everyday until they were forced to shut down in Canada in mid 2007. It was truly a sad day. Now, TechCrunch is reporting that the service will be shut down in the UK as well. After failing to obtain a licensing agreement, Pandora is going to block all UK traffic as of January 15 - not a very good start to 2008 for the company.

Pandora knew that this day might come, but it held on to the hope that it could strike a deal with the appropriate parties and continue providing the service. This didn’t happen. The RIAA has stepped in and pulled the plug. It truly is a pity for UK users. I know this because I had the same thing happen to me.

This move will likely boost the traffic of competitors, most notably Last.fm, in the UK region. Ironically enough, Last.fm is located in the UK, hence the reason it hasn’t had as many problems as the US-based Pandora.

As a side note, there is an interesting article from TechCrunch on how to access Pandora, Hulu, and other serivces from outside the US: Accessing Hulu, Pandora And Other Sites From Outside Of the United States.

Finally, I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Conrad, the CTO of Pandora, at Gnomedex in August 2007. He was a true gentleman and assured me that the company was doing everything in its power to make a return to Canada. I guess they can add another country to that list. Good luck Pandora. I’m rootin’ for ya.

Perhaps one of the most obvious uses of a corporate blog is as a PR and brand-building tool. When a company wants to let the world know about an update, bug fix, or any material change, a blog is a great place to do so. I’m not advocating against press releases - I just think there is a time and place for them.

In my opinion, press releases should only be issued in a situation of substantial change - i.e. new launch, partnership agreement, or management change, for example. Small updates and changes do not merit such treatment. In addition, press releases usually lack two-way communication, a definite downfall.

Companies can also announce special achievements, milestones, and awards on their blog. Such events don’t usually precede a press release (in most cases). What about company outings and happenings? A blog may provide an outlet to the world, informing about the inner-workings of the external facing entity. This concept of “humanizing” the company is extremely effective when it comes to building trust and loyalty. Credit goes to Robert Scoble, formerly of Microsoft, for pioneering this notion. Customers and readers are introduced to “real people” in a ”real company”. This has traditionally been condemned, as companies prefer to amplify their profile rather than diminish it. But more and more we are finding that such a strategy isn’t always the most effective.

All in all, corporate blogs (as a PR tool) are a great way to increase exposure and raise profile in a given industry. For a small investment, a company could be introducing itself to new investors, new customers, or even a potential acquisitor. Thus, it seems like a small price to pay for such huge benefits.

Do you have any stories about blogs being used as a PR tool? Have you leveraged one as such? Let us hear your stories.

Instead of spewing out another assortment of posts, I thought I’d take a step back and really mull over the concept of a blog. What is it? What does it accomplish? Why do we take the time to publish them? To many, these answers seem obvious. But upon further inspection, I think that there is more to this concept than meets the eye.

A blog isn’t a one-dimensional tool. It has multiple uses (which I will explore in later posts). But for now, let’s take a look at the definition of a blog from some highly respectable and reliable sources. 

Wikipedia’s definition:

“A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.”

Dictionary.com’s definition:

“A website that displays in chronological order the postings by one or more individuals and usually has links to comments on specific postings.”

Merriam-Webster’s defintion:

“A Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.”

Interestingly,three different sources provide three separate views, especially the last one. Here are some key points to note:

• The most traditional source (M-W) provides the most dated definition.
• The concept of a ‘journal’ or ‘diary’ in real life does not provide entries in reverse chronological order.
• A blog doesn’t necessarily have to have a comment section (ala Seth Godin). Some may argue this point.

All of sudden, what seemed like a clear definition becomes unclear. From my perspective, I think that Wikipedia’s definition, although somewhat vague, provides the most accurate and safe representation. A blog is essentially a “series of posts in reverse chronological order”. End of story. Whether the blog is personal, contains numerous authors, or has a comments section is irrelevant.

How would you define a blog? What do you think constitutes such an entity?

Note: In upcoming posts, we will explore the multiple uses of a blog, as well as the underlying motivation of bloggers.