| |
Let
the Blogging Begin
The
6 November 2006 edition of the Zeitgeist e-Zine
As I noted
in a recent edition of the Z-news,
I’ve crossed over into the blogosphere (and, be warned, it’s
just a matter of time before I jump headfirst into podcasting).
If you’re already into Blogs,
I certainly hope you’ll subscribe to my
feed (and you can stop right here).
But, if you’re scratching your head, thinking that a blog is some
old Steve
McQueen movie and yet, at the same time, knowing you’ve
got to jump on this train before it’s in the next county, read
on.
While this is far from the symptoms of a midlife crisis, it does have
it’s underpinnings in a personal epiphany that my preferences
in how I consume media and information are no longer shared by a significant
segment of the population. Thus, designing communiques as I would enjoy
them no longer satisfies a growing number of current and potential clients
and subscribers.
Note to my demographic peers: It’s time to wake up.
My initial reluctance to enter the blogging world was founded in how
difficult I felt it was to remember to visit the blogs I enjoyed. And,
while I was indirectly notified of the updating of my favorite blogs
through a feature in the free and way cool web browser Firefox,
it still required me to take an action to see if there was something
new.
Let’s face it...I’m lazy. I’m busy. And I rarely looked
for updates from my favorite blogs, even though all I had to do was
roll my cursor over a bookmark bar. That’s why, a couple months
ago, I debated my friend Robert
Ian on the merits of blogging. He said it was the next
big thing. Yea, so were Mini-Discs,
I said.
I said that I preferred e-newsletters. Outside of the act of subscribing,
they require no additional action on the part of the reader. The message
arrives and the subscriber must deal with it. Read it. Dump It. Save
it for later. Pretty easy. But blogs, I said, require the reader to
take action. The user has to go and look for new posts!
Robert said he was moving forward with his, despite my analysis (and,
truth be told, I’m now an avid reader of his
blog).
What changed my mind? The discovery of Aggregators.
Simply put, these are pieces of either web or internet based software
that monitor the news sources, blogs and podcasts that people like you
and I want to consume...and alert us when there is new content. The
Firefox browser I use includes an aggregator. But the key for me (and
maybe for you) was to move to a software based aggregator.
Maybe it’s just the way I work my ‘puter each day. But,
when I fire ole Bubba up each morning, I check my e-mail program, my
web browser’s home page for a quick view of the news...and, now,
I check my aggregator to review the new posts that have been made by
my favorite bloggers (which include Durham’s
Reyn
Bowman, Seth
Godin, Mark
Cuban, Joe
Buhler and Guy
Kawasaki). Sure, I could do this through my browser...but
I currently subscribe to 24 different news and blog feeds, too many
for a browser to easily display (and, did I say I’m into easy?).
So, here’s my suggestion: Find a software based aggregator and
dive in. Sure, using Yahoo, Google or Firefox is free and easy...but
will it be easy for you? I’m finding that a software based solution
has become a standard start-up habit...and I love it.
For Mac users, I’m partial to NetNewsWire
for its elegant interface. For the rest of you, check out this listing
of options.
Once you add an aggregator to your computing life, you’ll realize
the power you’ve just harnessed. Like millions of others, you
will begin consuming the content YOU want...instead of what others prescribe
for you. You can organize and control your news and commentary content...hearing
from those that you value and ignoring those that have none, despite
what the networks want to stuff into your head.
The revolution
is in full swing. Don't get left behind.
Bill
PS:
Want to know more about blogs and how they offer an incredible opportunity
for your marketing strategy? We talked blogs with Durham's Reyn
Bowman and Scottsdale's
Amy Rushia last month on DMOU
Teleseminars. Learn from two of the early adopters of this
great new communication strategy!
Wanna
comment on this or other topics. E-mail
Me!
|
|
