Do you still write them?

-Ashley

Articles have their place and can be very valuable and informative, but the don’t give the same level of connection that a blog can.

I also think many people tend to give blogs and bloggers too little credit. Sure there are some bad blogs out there, but there are a lot of good ones. Sometimes I think blogs and those who blog deserve a little more respect.

Adam, you shocked? No, couldn’t be. You almost have to wonder if Neilsen has ever read a blog. I think he’s accepting of the idea of a blog, but only if it’s used to publish articles. I’ve come across some very good and very short blog posts. I just added another one I found today to this post.

I’m with you Kristine. And I agree about what you can end up learning from your customers. One thing I didn’t really mention in the post is about the relationships you can build with your customers through a blog. The two way communication can help to make your customers more loyal to you and I’d bet in the end they deliver a better return than articles do.

Both are important and both have their place. I think Neilsen is only looking at one very specific type of customer when he considers articles being the better way to sell.

I think the situation is getting a little better in regards to bloggers being given credit. I saw an article recently where journalists were more willing to accept some bloggers as part of their community. There’s still a long way to go, but anyone who blogs regularly knows the effort that goes into publishing one.

I think what Jake misses in this, as always, is that most blogs aren’t written from a sales point of view, nor should they be. You should write the length of content that suits your blog. In some cases, that may be a short blog post (although not often) and in some cases, it should be longer.

There’s nothing wrong with putting an article in a blog in and of itself, but if you’re using a blog just to puff your chest out and show how smart you are, you’re using it for all the wrong reasons. Its basic concept was to be an online journal, and nothing else.

Jake, as usual, also doesn’t take into account what the majority of people do with their blogs….and that is that they don’t use blogs to sell products and services.

Why do people still listen to that guy, anyway? He hasn’t been riding the reality train for years now.

I think you nailed it on its head. Blogs and articles have different purposes. Blogs can help you communicate with your customers. They establish a professional/personal conversation. Articles on the other hand help mainly to demonstrate expertise in an area. It does not have to be one or the other. The right mix of both is what company’s should aim for.

Khalid