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As part of a
panel discussion at “Blogging
Goes Mainstream: Is Your Company Ready?,” an event
hosted by the Business Development Institute, Trylon
President Lloyd Trufelman struck a chord that
reverberated. He maintained that a blog is simply a new
platform for an age-old practice – sharing information.
Trufelman
cited examples of pre-technology information sharing
platforms such as pamphlets and newsletters. He also
referred to New York City’s 311 phone service that
successfully uses the phone system to encourage feedback
from city residents.
The blog’s
arrival, according to Trufelman, is like Moore’s Law
meeting customer service - the ability to share
information and listen to customer feedback is heating
up and becoming more efficient because of technological
advances.
Harkening
back to the late 1990s, Trufelman recalled when every
business suddenly believed it needed a website. The rush
to technology led many executives to believe the
Internet was greater than its purpose – so it became a
business unto itself. As a result, the frothy stock
market fueled by this type of thinking imploded. Only
recently have executives realized that the Internet is a
very powerful tool –but, in the end, nothing more than
that.
The same is
true of blogs, Trufelman said. Blogs are another tool
allowing businesses to more efficiently listen to
customers and, when done professionally and ethically,
to send out messages about their companies. In the end,
blogs become another technology platform allowing
businesses to be more effective in their public
communications.
Trufelman
sounded a note of caution for businesses contemplating
company blogs. While blogs can be a very effective
addition to corporate communications, he said, they
require lots of effort. Keeping the blog current and
fresh can be a major effort. If a company blog becomes
boring, the marketplace will rule and people will simply
ignore it.
You can
listen to the entire 2 ˝ hour Business Development
Institute event at
www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=28562. The panel
discussion featuring Trufelman’s comments starts 56
minutes into the event.
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