In the 2nd anniversary issue of WordBiz Report I included a note to readers that opined: “Authenticity is key. And by that I mean authentic voice. I often struggle to find just the right tone. When I do, you respond. You even make a purchase. When I lapse into marketing speak, you tend to ignore me. And why not? I don’t respond to sales-y copy either.”
To be candid, I didn’t flesh out the topic of authenticity as a full-blown article because I was up against the deadline and ran out of time. Well, along comes WordBiz reader Stan Halse of thrivingvision to point out an article on The Power of Self Disclosure, in MarketingProfs. Author Randy Siegel writes that “Communicating without disclosing self is like trying to play tennis without a ball.” You gotta reveal some personal stuff, he’s saying, in order to be a strong communicator.
If I tell you that my dog is sick - or that I’ve procrastinated (more likely) - are you more apt to be swayed by what I write? There’s a fine line between being authentic and revealing too much personal information. Too much candor is not necessarily interesting. I see this line crossed all the time in other e-newsletters. Who cares what the editor thought when she rolled out of bed that morning. Unless the editor or publisher is a well-known figure. Enough rambling… what do you think about being candid and disclosing the self in online business communications?
Martin Roell has a great idea: Blog Headhunters. If it’s true that serious (and seriously regarded) bloggers are smart, articulate and clued in, then what better place to look for a valuable new employee than in the blogosphere. Canadian blogger Sebastian Paquet (whose focus is KS or knowledge sharing; yup, I had to figure that one out) just got a new job. So did Robert Scoble, who made a name for himself as a Microsoft product flamethrower. (He got hired by Microsoft.) Thanks to Martin for providing these links.
Est-ce que c’est le email ou le courriel? Have you heard that the French government has banned the use of the word “email” (too American) in official documents? Instead, the phrase “courrier electronique” or courriel for short is to be used.
I checked in with Renan Ayrault, a French colleague and friend who is Director, Product Management for CarFax to get his spin on this linguistically sensitive topic. He replied: “Courriel is not a bad word if you ask me, but I don’t think it will become the predominant word. I have seen it used in magazines and newspaper for letters to the editor, but never heard friends or family using it. I just checked on four Web sites: auchan.fr (one of the largest grocery stores / hypermarket chain in France), renault.fr, wanadoo.fr (largest ISP), and fnac.fr (largest bookstore chain in France). All were using email or e-mail …so I stand by my comments.”
Zut, alors. Just goes to show that the Internet is a force of nature not even the French government can regulate.
Here’s an updated list of business blogs to check out. Compiled by Rick Bruner of I-Blog. Another comprehensive list of “marketing” blogs is on Scott Knowles’ WebSense blog.
I’m working with BrainBox here in Washington D.C. to create an audio cassette/CD of my e-newsletter seminar. They were a few days late in getting me a copy of the recording. No big deal. But instead of saying, “Oh, we’ve just been busy,” they dropped off the CD at my office along with a cool BrainBox travel mug, a pad of their BrainBox paper AND a written note apologizing for the delay. What a great idea! In these days of e-everything, delivering something tangible to a customer (especially a handwritten note) may be your best marketing tactic. Thanks BrainBox!
Thursday, July 17th, 2003Filed in Buzz
If you haven’t stumbled across it already, be sure to sign up for the new I-Blog discussion list that’s part of Up2Speed. What a great idea. Heck, wish I’d thought of it myself. Rick Bruner is moderating it with his usual no-nonsense approach. Most useful: he is compiling a list of “business blogs.” Examples include Signal vs Noise (I love the page design), Cape Clear, and ad agency Red Door.
An article I wrote recently, 5 Key Questions (You’ve Been Dying to Ask) About Business Blogs, is being linked to a lot. Thanks to Chris Pirillo for passing these along. Frankly, I think the article raises more questions than it answers but it’s a start and a stab at discussing a new online trend that a lot of folks are just getting wind of. Yes, Virginia, there are still people out there who are new to blogging… lots of ‘em, in fact.
In Dave Winer’s Scripting News (July 8, 2003)
A link from About.com: Blogs are described as being the hippest way to publish content to the web, the cool craze, and the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Link from Microsoft marketing manager John Porcaro’s Weblog
Link from Blogs4Business
Link from Rob Robinson’s Idea Engagement
5 Key Questions article was first published in WordBiz Report.
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