Do you need a blog?
Jun 15th 2008vesterliUncategorized
I just got in to New Orleans for the ODTUG conference starting tomorrow. While standing in the usual endless lines for immigration, luggage, customs and security at Washington Dulles Airport, I managed to read all of Blog Schmog by Robert W. Bly. He comes from a traditional direct marketing background and is very much unimpressed by the whole blogging phenomenon. At best, a blog can be used for brand building - which he considers largely a waste of money because you can’t measure ROI.
As a counterpoint, I read Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel while waiting at the gate for my delayed flight to New Orleans. The book is mainly anecdotal, telling interesting stories about people who succeeded with blogs, mixed with general “the web changes everything” comments of pre-2000 vintage. The authors are clearly blogging enthusiasts, but cannot really muster any convincing arguments to back up their claim that every business needs a blog.
On balance, Robert W. Bly wins the argument - you probably don’t need a blog. Fortunately, he does make an exception for consultants like myself 
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