MPD

Yesterday, I finished reading “The Corporate Blogging Book” by Debbie Weil. My mom took it out of the library where she works for me because she thought it would be interesting. I actually really liked the book because it covered a number of topics well that were not necessarily directed just to the corporate uses of blogging.

For one, Ms. Weil provided an explanation of exactly what blogging can be beyond the stereotypical teenage-angst-look-at-my-everyday-life blogs and examples of good blogs.

Secondly, chapter eight was a consice collection of layperson-accessible descriptions of typical blogging tools and technology from choosing the basic blogging software to more advanced topics such as RSS, tagging, and podcasts. I think anyone confused about all the acronymns and technology should read this chapter.

Third, and most importantly, the book was full of advice on how to write and maintain a good blog. Much of this advice is general enough for anyone to follow. For example, bloggers are encouraged to choose very narrow topics on which to blog, invite a conversation, publish consistantly (and warn when you will not), and above all to be authentic. In the section discussing the “fear of blogging,” she even offers advice on how to publish consistantly.

Finally, Ms. Weil’s words were only 155 pages out of 197 total. The rest was devoted to “Bonus Resources.” She had example corporate blogging guidlines (from IBM and Sun), sample disclamers on employee blogs, and a piece on weblog usability by Jakob Nielsen.

As a result of reading this book and of keeping a blog to record my summer, I’ve been inspired to do a bit more. I think after I arrive at school next week, I will set my server back up at daugherty.mit.edu and redesign my own website and begin a blog. My next step, then, is to look into some good blogging software; I’ll probably use WordPress or Serendipity. What do you think? Any opinions?

Anyway, to conclude, I would recommend “The Corporate Blogging Book” to anyone thinking about starting a blog. If you aren’t specifically thinking about a corporate blog, however, you can probably skip the first few chapters (though you may still find them interesting as examples of good reasons to have a blog). Technical people may want to skim the sections of the book that discuss tools, while good writers may find themselves skimming sections on how to write. Either way, there is enough advice for everyone that you will likely read something new.