Will You Become A Corporate Blog Whore?
August 19, 2008
Are we destined to see more corporate blogs in the future? Many businesses have already realised the importance of blogging. But creating a company blog that customers actually want to read is a huge challenge. And many businesses are turning to professional blog consultants for guidance.
In this interview, on Blogging Without A Blog, Lorelle Van Fossen predicts that blogs will become far more influential in the business world,in the future. But who is going to be doing all that blogging?
Judging by all the blogging job ads on sites like Problogger, many businesses are already outsourcing their blogging. And according to John Hewitt, there’s stiff competition for these jobs. But he gives great advice on how you can easily beat hundreds of people to the best blogging jobs in: Your Competition Stinks - Isn’t It Great.
So, if thousands of companies enter the blogging arena over the next few years, it looks like there will be no shortage of work for full-time bloggers, or freelancers.
It’s great that many businesses now recognise that having their own blog is going to be extremely important in the future. And I’m wondering how all this will impact the blogging world. Will we see an abundance of ghost bloggers, writing under the name of the face of the some of these businesses, or on behalf of some celebrity they’ve employed to front their marketing campaign?
And how will all this impact the blogosphere in general? Will it raise the importance of blogging? Or could it have a negative impact?
Would you become a corporate blog whore, if one of these companies offered you a huge salary to write for them, even if it meant giving up your own blog? Or would you use your own blog to promote a large company, in return for financial reward?
And if you wanted someone to run your own business blog, what qualities would you look for?
Related Reading
What Is A Blog And Will It Feed You Or Eat You?
21 Amazing Business Writing Resources
A Day In The Life Of A Blogger
How To Start A Business Website and Hire A Web Designer
Comments
32 Responses to “Will You Become A Corporate Blog Whore?”
Got something to say?
-
Build A Successful Site
-
6 Ways To Make Money
-
Awesome Blog
-
Get More Traffic
-
Make Money
-
Free Credit Report
-
Unique Blog Design
-
Alltop
-
Successful And Outstanding Blogger
Cath,
Thanks for the link to John’s great guest post on my blog. He gives good advice.
Lillie Ammann’s last blog post..Name This Meme
Hi Lillie - You’re welcome. I thought you’d written it to begin with - then I realised it was a guest post. It’s a great resource to help freelance writers stand out from the crowd.
If I could get a good salary and it was on a topic that I could actually write about, then sure, whore me up. But why would it mean giving up your own blog? I wouldn’t want to do that, nor would I want to promote a company on my blog on a regular basis.
Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..Good News From The Doctor
I would be in absolute heaven to earn a living blogging. God, if you’re reading, please read the first sentence again.
I’d prefer to do it on a contract basis and I would NOT give up my own blog.
Davina’s last blog post..My Turn To Be Seen
I agree with Hunter. If I could get a nice, guaranteed wage at the end of each month for writing about something I’m passionate about, I would certainly grab the offer with both hands.
However, I’m really not sure I could give up my own blog for the guaranteed wage. Much of what I enjoy in blogging is the aspect of it being my own blog, my own community, my own online home. Blogging for somebody else as a full time job would mean that side of the enjoyment would be lost.
Jamie
Jamie Harrop’s last blog post..Testimonials on Our Blogs - 35% Subscriber Conversion
What Hunter said.
And, I already AM a corporate blog whore.
http://blog.uptous.com/
I do it part-time and obviously don’t engage in the heavy networking that is needed to build a community around a blog.
But I am NOT being paid a “huge salary”. Far from it. If I were offered a decent salary for doing this, I would definitely consider putting MomGrind on a back burner (posting just once a week perhaps), and working on making the corporate blog more interesting/ promoting it.
Vered’s last blog post..Top 10 Fashion Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs
Hi Catherine,
Thanks for referencing the interview with Lorelle. She sure has me thinking too.
Would I blog for a corporation? Sure, if I supported their efforts. I wouldn’t give up my blog though. Nor do I think it would be necessary to promote them on my site, although I might let readers know they could read more of my writings on “xyz” company blog (with permissions, of course).
This does remind me of how our blogs are our resumes in cyberspace. Just think, apply for a corporate blog job and you can tell them, “Want to see more of my work?” Just go to my blog(s). They would be able to dig through our archives, see how we respond to comments, and also see us in action on other blogs (in the comment section, or as guest writers).
P.S. I was just doing research for our biz and the site I needed to check out had a blog.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..NBOTW - He Had Me With “Hello”
I can’t believe I am in your spam folder again.
Vered’s last blog post..Top 10 Fashion Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs
Hi Hunter - I knew there was a whore within you waiting to be unleashed. I don’t think all big companies would want you to give up your own blog. Although some might worry that you’d spend too much of their time writing your own stuff.
Hi Davina - I hope that works for you. And at least you’ve stated exactly what you want.
Hi Jamie - I guess corporate blogging would give you a lot of freedom during your year in Australia. But you made a good point about losing enjoyment in your own blog if you were doing it for someone else full-time. I hadn’t thought about that.
Hi Barbara - that is a good point. I guess the first thing a potential employer would want to see would be your own work.
Mmm - if I wanted to become a corporate blogger - I think I would need to go back through my posts and change certain words.
Was the site you found in the same industry as you Barbara? If so, it just shows how much this blogging thing is expanding.
Blogging for a corporation would be a dream job for me. Working in that environment would certainly have its ups and downs, but it would be fantastic to see an entire organization enjoy the benefits of blogging.
Brad Shorr’s last blog post..Do You Remember the Basics?
The law firm market is all mine.
(Just kidding, of course!) Really though, I make a full time living blogging for law firms, and more and more firms are beginning to blog all the time. So it makes sense to me that any corporate entity with a website will also want to get on the blogging game.
Corporate Blogging Whore: that title is SO going on my resume. LOL
Amy’s last blog post..Freelance Writing Success: Your Way or Mine?
I’m a little surprised that corporate blogs are growing. I haven’t come across any corporate blogs, nor am I yearning to.
I can see how blog sites like HuffingtonPost or even Problogger would have staff writers, but I’m not interested in a blog from Coca Cola or General Motors. I would think the posts would simply be a series of press releases.
Al at 7P’s last blog post..The Hero with a Thousand Jobs
It would really depend upon the subject. For instance, I wouldn’t want that job with the company I currently work for because it’s just not a passionate enough topic for me. That said, I enjoy the work I do do, because it’s in an area of the company that is very interesting to me.
We have even talked briefly about blogging at our business. But it’s a ways down the road, if we do it at all.
Lance’s last blog post..Olympic Strength - It’s In All of Us
Hi Catherine,
Did you notice Problogger has a new post on “How To Apply For A Blogging Job”?
Darren brings up some interesting points.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..NBOTW - He Had Me With “Hello”
Hi Cath,
Getting paid big to blog sounds great. Although, I don’t see a reason why should I stop my blog to blog on theirs.
Avani-Mehta’s last blog post..Decoding Anger - Anger Management Series Part I
I regularly look at the various blogger job posts around the web but never apply for two reasons:
1. The pay is non-existent (or abysmal)
2. They want a very niche interest/experience
If I actually found something I was passionate about and felt I could do a good job with that paid decently (for me that would be a minimum of $75 per post) I’d happily take the job.
As for giving up my own blog? No way!
Alex Fayle’s last blog post..Patience is a Virtue? and a Curse
Hi Vered - I can’t believe Askimet is grabbing you again. It’s been doing that to a few people lately. You’d think it would be able to differentiate regular posters from the other crap it puts in there.
Maybe when Up To Us grows - they’ll be able to pay you more. I would hate to see less of Mom Grind though.
Hi Brad - It would be nice to see good organisations benefit from blogging. Mind you, I think it would backfire on any bad organisations big time.
Hi Amy - I would love to see that on your resume. And I know from reading your own blog that you do full time blogging for a law firm. Now I guess that would definitely require specialized knowledge. So anyone who wanted to be a corporate blogger would probably be better off specializing.
Hi Al - that would be boring wouldn’t it. I think that will be the biggest challenge for many of these companies - having a blog about stuff that people actually want to read. I’m going to do a little project about that on here soon.
Hi Barbara - I didn’t see that post. I’m still trying to catch up with posts from when I was on vacation. It sounds interesting though.
Hi Avani - I would think that would be the worst thing. If you were going to write for someone full-time, you’d probably want to make sure they wouldn’t enforce that rule from the beginning.
Hi Alex - I hadn’t looked at the actual pay. Was the pay bad for full time positions, or was it freelance stuff you were looking at?
Cath Lawson’s last blog post..Will You Become A Corporate Blog Whore?
Hi Lance - sorry - Askimet grabbed you too. It would be difficult to blog well on something you weren’t passionate about wouldn’t it.
And I guess a lot of people are in your position - loving the actual job they do but not being passionate about the particular industry.
@Cath
Freelance stuff - I haven’t actually looked at any full-time blogging jobs as most of them seem to require being inhouse.
I’ve thought more about it and I’m not sure I would take on that sort of job. When I had my Professional Organizing business, I was on TV promoting organizing and that was great (my choice) but then one time I was hired to promote organizing and mention certain projects. I felt stiff and awkward and really didn’t enjoy it. Swore I’d never shill again.
I know I’ll never take paid blog posts on for my own blog, but I still need to decide if blogging for someone else is shilling or writing…
Alex Fayle’s last blog post..Patience is a Virtue? and a Curse
Hi Alex - I guess it’s far easier to promote stuff you really believe in, than it is to take payment to promote things that other people want you to promote.
Like you, I would feel uncomfortable with the idea of taking paid blog posts. It just wouldn’t be enjoyable. Plus, it can really backfire if you start recommending crap. A few months ago, I read a post where a new blogger was reviewing an editing service. I checked out the editing service - it was crap and in my comment I warned the blogger against the pitfalls of using that service.
It turned out that the review she’d written was a paid one. And I’m guessing that she got paid peanuts for writing it.
I think if we began promoting crap on our blogs - it could be so damaging. We’d soon lose the trust and respect of our readers.
I personally think more power to anyone who earns a living blogging for a corporation.
Everyone has their own values etc. Smart companies will start to discover the value of running their own corporate blog and addressing public relations issues; it’s simply common sense.
‘course, if you’re asked to lie….that’s a whole ‘nother ball of earlobes.
Data points, Barbara
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach’s last blog post..Today’s Thought to Share - When carpets attack
A large sum of money? Sure, I’ll be a whore! LOL As long as it was on a topic I would want to research and write about, like Barbara said.
However, blogging isn’t my passion and we do say we should follow our passion, right? I mean, I like blogging, but there are things I like more.
I wonder how some of those corporate blogs work? I mean, if I was the corporation and I hired you to author an “eVentureBiz Blog,” who would reply to comments? Would people say, “Good article, John.” And then I’d reply and make as if I wrote the article?
John Hoff - eVentureBiz’s last blog post..The Foundation Of Successful Thinking
Hi Barbara - Great point. A blog is an excellent PR tool for a company to use. And if their customers have any complaints about the company, it will be far easier if they were able to address them there, than on some forum, or someone elses blog.
Hi John - That’s an interesting point - and definitely something a company would have to consider - especially if they were using a ghost blogger.
I guess, if the blog was doing well - the company wouldn’t want to make a hash of it, by allowing someone else to deal with comments and questions. But at the same time - it would depend whether the blogger knew enough about the company to answer any questions in the comments section.
[...] Will You Become A Corporate Blog Whore? I knew I wanted to post this article as soon as I saw the title, but then I saw that Cath even mentioned me in the article. As for whether or not i would be, all I can say is, not for the prices they’re paying right now. [...]
As Hunter said, not so delicately, whore me up! Of course I would blog for a company, if it was inline with my values. I am an ethical whore. Would I give up my blog. No. But I might have to ramp it back a bit.
If we blog, we are writers. And we are all to varying to degrees doing this to make money, or to build up a reputation in order to make money. I would be very surprised if any one of us said otherwise, and were being honest about it.
Urban Panther’s last blog post..The cost of relationships
Blogging for a corporation can be tricky. You’ve got to grow traffic or bring in some kind of measurable result, or likely you’ll get the boot.
Hi Urban Panther - I completely agree. Those that claim to blog for free are full of shit, or stupid.
As you say, as long as a business is in line with your ethical beliefs - why not? Of course, a huge salary would definitely help.
Hi Michael. I guess they would definitely be wanting something measureable in return. That’s a good point. Job security probably wouldn’t be too great.
Hi Cath,
I’m already a blog whore myself. I have been blogging for other people for a long while and currently I blog for 10 different clients all together. I usually don’t promote them heavily on my blog, especially not the ones where I blog under a ghost name.
I would not abandon my blog though, but do occasionally post less because I’m too flat out with all my client work. But if a huge network would ask me to participate for a monetary exchange I would probably consider it, depending on the offer and as long as I can keep my voice and values on my blog as is.
UP said it spot on. We are in this for the money too. At least I am. I am a freelance writer and problogger and that is how I earn my income and pay my bills. Therefore I refuse to blog for others for free in the hopes of getting more traffic, subscribers, etc.
My time is too valued to do that and I rather be paid for it. That is why my own blog isn’t monetized at this stage. It is my way of giving away my knowledge in the hopes of helping upcoming freelance writers.
But, like Panther said, I’m also an ethical whore myself. If I can’t agree with the views on the blog, I won’t take the job.
Monika Mundell’s last blog post..Blog Communications
Wow Monika - 10 different blog clients is a lot.
I know ages ago, we talked about guest posting and I thought it might be a good thing, if you had time to do loads of posts. But really you were right. Nobody has the time to do all those posts for free while trying to keep up with their own work. For me, getting round to doing one guest post is a challenge.
Someone should create a video about corporate blog whoring.
After all, there are already YouTube videos from a vlog whore and a twitter whore, the latter who went on and created a sequel.
[...] Will You Become A Corporate Blog Whore? Are You Blogging Like A Barbie Doll? My Blogging Mistakes - Were Yours This Bad? What Is A Blog And Will It Feed You Or Eat You? The Blogging Advice That Kept Me Up All Night [?] Share This [...]