Blogging As Community

As promised (in the last post), here are my brief thoughts on ‘blogging as community.’ What I mean is that a well-done blog shouldn’t only entertain, and shouldn’t only help build your company narrative, it should build a community of its’ own. It should be a place for people to not only go and get a piece of your company culture, but a place for them to participate in it. A place for you to share what you’re thinking and where you’re headed, and a place for them to give you some feedback. A place for them to comment, and a place for you to comment back. Hell, even a place for them to write their own stuff.

And more than building your internal company community even, a good blog can help you network into larger, Internet-wide communities. You can guest post on other blogs, and bring in guest bloggers to yours. You can link to other sites and other blogs, and add your own unique twist to their topics. You can meet people and start conversations, all which (eventually) give you and your product more recognition and a better name.

If you’re spamming, or just writing crap, none of this will happen - no one will like you. But if you do it right; you create a good blog (and put time into building communities around it), you’ll reap the rewards.