Understanding the Procurement BlogSphere

June 11th, 2008 at 06:45am David Bush - Iasta

A recent Industry Week article offered up Four Tips to Understanding the BlogSphere for companies new to the modern web. What is needed is a companion article for new readers to the blogsphere. In this post, I am going to offer you some tips on how to get the most out of your blogs.

1. Make a Sincere Commitment
       Whether you are a corporation trying to get your message out or a user trying to get some information, the first tip is the same - make a commitment. Blogs are like everything else - you get out of them what you put into them. That means taking them seriously, reading them regularly, and thinking about the knowledge they are attempting to impart. Scanning a few entries every couple of weeks isn’t going to help you much, but reading the blogs that are most relevant to you daily is - even if you think the post of the day has nothing to do with you or your job. Good bloggers are always trying to put things in context, and that means helping you understand the bigger picture.
2. Be Marketing-Savvy
       There are two kinds of blogs - personal publishing platforms driven by the passions of the blog-masters behind them and thinly disguised marketing vehicles for the company sponsoring them that offer up nothing more than press releases and marketing spin.
        Although this blog is completely funded by Iasta, a for-profit corporation selling e-Sourcing SaaS, I make a concerted effort to keep this blog free of marketing, as Iasta has a whole website for that. This blog, like the companion e-Sourcing Wiki, is to help you understand e-Sourcing and how you can get the most from it.
3. Do Your Homework
       Don’t just pick a collection of random blogs to read every day, seek out and identify those blogs that are most relevant to your needs and your interests. Look for blogs that publish regularly and that focus on content and not spin. Check out not only the blogs and resource sites they link to, but who links back to them (e.g. Technorati) and / or how many incoming links they have (e.g. Traffic Estimate). Good blogs publish regularly, link to relevant resources, are linked to by other relevant resources, and make an effort to keep their content fresh and informative. You tell can which sites are “trusted” for their valued content, by their relative rank to one another. Alexa has the most information for cross blog comparisons. Although it is not scientifically precise, it can be directionally accurate and show which blogs are being read the most.
4. Engage
       Ask a question or leave an informative comment. Most blogs have a comment feature, but many readers don’t contribute. Engaging in the conversation forces you to think about what you’re reading, which increases comprehension and retention, but generally results in the blogger or other readers contributing even more useful information. It’s all about making a sincere commitment.

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Entry Filed under: General, e-Sourcing Marketplace