Customer Reviews

Blog Schmog: The Truth About What Blogs Can (and Can't) Do for Your Business

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Finally some realistic truth about blogging. Robert W. Bly is a marketing expert and someone who regularly writes about how writers can increase their bottom-like earnings. His column in Writer's Digest magazine is excellent. This book comes with a warning in the opening pages which in part says,
"If you are a blogging evangelist or consultant, I guarantee you will hate this book and that it will make you angry. If you are a practical marketer concerned with results, this book can prevent you from wasting a lot of time and money, improve your marketing results, and create realistic expectations about what blogging can--and cannot--do for your business."

That warning summarizes what you will gain from this book. It's not a book against blogging. In fact, it's a clarion call for focused topic-centered blogging and excellent writing. As Bly contends in one of his 14 Rules of the Blogsphere, "13. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other rules of written communication apply to blogs just as they do everywhere else. The reader who spots typos and misspellings will not think you are casual or relaxed about grammar and proofreading, he will think you are a sloppy and careless writer--and by extension, a sloppy, careless thinker--not the impression you want to convey."

This book is loaded with seasoned advice from an expert. I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed reading this book. It confirmed what I already knew about blogs and blogging. I highly recommend anyone interested in exploiting blogs for financial gain get a copy of this book and read it.

The overall message of the book is that blogs help increase a marketing-focused Web site get favorably ranked with search engines. Therefore, indirectly they help in marketing. But blogs are not a marketing tool in and of themselves unless one treats article writing as a marketing tool.

Building Web sites has always been pretty easy. And blogs are Web sites. What has always been somewhat hard is designing a Web site and filling it with content so visitors to the Web site will be inclined to buy a certain product or service. Since blogs by definition are not seriously researched or planned, their ability to convince visitors to buy is limited. And, as a result, their marketing value is not that great. However, Web sites do not exist in a vacume. They rely to some extent on getting traffic from search engines on the Web. And blog entries help in a few ways with getting a Web site some traffic. First, they provide content in a Web site that search engines index. At least this is the case when the blog entries are stored on Web pages within the blogger's main Web site for marketing purposes. Second, blogs are possible "hit pages" surfers will click through to when trying to find information. Such pages will then direct the surfers to "marketing pages" in the blogger's main Web site set up for marketing purposes. And third, if the blogs are freestanding, then they can provide external links directing Web surfers to the blogger's main Web site which has marketing umf. Search engines rank a Web site more favorably when other Web sites direct traffic its way.

The book also points out that the best blogs from a business' standpoint are "topical blogs." And the businesses that usually benefit are service oriented (as compared to retail oriented). For example, a consultant who counsels small business owners might have a blog that only includes entries about small business. A life coach might have a blog that only includes entries regarding life coaching issues. Or a bankruptcy attorney might have a blog that only includes entries regarding Chapter 7 personal bankruptcies. The blogs will probably help boost surfer traffic to their main Web sites, but they will also help build credibility for their respective services. Assuming the blogs have accurate and timely content, then the bloggers arguably will be viewed as "experts" even though they haven't gone through the hassle of getting a book published or passed some professional exam.

But there are many blogs out there that are not topical, are not accurate and timely, and don't really say anything worth reading. Those are the blogs that the author says are not worth producing. And I agree. 5 stars!

Robert Bly's BLOG SCHMOG is a balanced, openly honest, "no pie-in-the-sky" assessment of the craze which has swept across the internet, namely blogging. In short, the book's subtitle "The truth about what blogs can and can't do for your business" tells the buyer exactly what to expect if they buy and read this book. In fact, that is exactly why I purchased this book because I am on the cusp of setting up my own blog. I was not disappointed.

In conceptualizing and framing his book BLOG SCHMOG, Robert Bly has targeted a wide audience: new bloggers, blog enthusiasts thinking about designing and launching their own blog, and internet surfers who have been blogging for awhile.

BLOG SCHMOG is a three-tier crash course in how to realistically analyze blogging application and effectiveness, how to measure the effect of blogging on current marketing and media trends, and how to create your own effective blog that will lure in readers and participants. The back matter or appendices of BLOG SCHMOG contain invaluable information: detailed notes from each chapter, blogosphere rules & etiquette, a comprehensive list of blogging books & guides, blogging consultants with their emails and phone numbers, blog software, blog search engines, a litany of successful business blogs covering an array of topics, and a glossary of blogging terms so the newbie does not remain a newbie.
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A word to the wise should be the mantra for this book. In other words, underscoring all of the above is a golden thread that runs through his book, namely, do not miscalculate or overestimate the effect that your blog will have on your business. Do not live in the fantasy world of blog. Be very clear about what your blog can do for you, in terms of a return on your investment ROI, whether it is financial, advertising, or just broadening your reputation via the web. Your ROI is always a balance between weekly time invested in your blog versus what do you get in return for giving up that time. What Robert Bly makes clear in BLOG SCHMOG is that blogging is a new phenomenon whose long-term effects are yet to be measured in the commercial marketplace. He does cite instances where bloggers have influenced politics; they have fanned the flames of a sweeping news story; and, through the mainstream media, blog designers and analysts have attempted to alter the path of the meandering river of public perception.

All-in-all, though some critics view Robert Bly's perspective and tone more akin to a parent who negatively discourages his child by undercutting his child's goals, I found Robert Bly's BLOG SCHMOG to be an informed primer that encourages the newbie blogger by giving him all the tools he will need to succeed, but Bly does so with words of caution. BLOG SCHMOG reads with experience and careful consideration. In short, it informs. As a writer and businessman, Robert Bly blends his knowledge of writing, marketing, advertising and persuasion into a most pleasing and rewarding work. BLOG SCHMOG is worth every penny.

John M. Weiskopf
Author, The Ascendancy
[...]

Finally a business book that is unpretentious. Blog Schmog is not one of those books that takes one good idea and then tries to stretch it beyond its boundaries just to get a specified page count.

Bob Bly is a direct mail copywriter and by his own admission does not buy into the blogosphere hype. But he decided to delve into the world of blogging and find out what it was all about (probably so he could write a book). The fact that Bly is not a blogging expert is exactly what makes this book valuable to someone thinking of starting a blog.

This book gives you an unbiased view of starting a blog from scratch and leaves out the sales pitch you would get from a blogging guru trying to sell you the latest patented system for starting a blog.

BS is short on technical advice but does give you resources and plenty of website addresses to get you started. What you will get out of this book is why you should start a blog (if you should) and what is the most effective way to write a blog. If you are already a seasoned blogger, this book is probably not for you.

If you are thinking of starting a blog, or just trying to get more comfortable writing one, I recommend this book. You won't be an expert after you read it, but you will have a better perspective of blogging.

Those who are about to read this book need to keep in mind that in it, Robert Bly shares his thoughts about what blogs cannot do (nor be expected to do) as well as what they can do. Over the years, he has earned and deserves his reputation as a master of reasoning, reading, and writing skills...whatever the given genre may be. Among his previously published books, my own favorites are The Copywriter's Handbook, his Guide to Freelance Writing Success, and most recently, The White Paper Marketing Handbook. In his latest book, Blog Schmog, he focuses on "the strategy of using blogs as a business-building and marketing tool, explaining how your time is best bent on strategy, not fooling around with programming or design." Bly then goes on to explain, in the Introduction, that his book "is written from the point of view of a blogging skeptic and doubter, not one who has bought into the whole blogging fad without holding it up to close scrutiny... And my conclusions about blogging, unlike those of [blogging consultants, enthusiasts, and evangelists], are not always favorable; my positions on blogging are highly controversial within the blogosphere." He urges those who read this book to share their comments ideas, techniques, and/or success stories with him at rwbly@bly.com or to visit www.bly.com.

Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? Probably, those in need of expert advice on how to start their own blog, and, those who have done so and are dissatisfied with the results thus far.

Time Out: There are significant differences between personal blogs and institutional blogs. Therefore, those who are about to launch either a personal blog or an institutional blog should first answer the six questions posed on Pages 55 & 56 in Chapter 2, "How to Start Your Own Blog." (Bly cites Elisa Camahort's Worker Bees as their source. Her Web site is workerbeesblog.blogspot.com.) Moreover, I think that those who have already launched a blog and are not satisfied with results thus far should also answer these six questions. For those with a special interest in institutional blogs, Bly provides an insightful analysis of do's and don'ts in Chapter 7. Then in Appendix E, he identifies "Business Blogs Every Blogging Newbie Should Know" and provides links to them.

To me, some of the most valuable information and counsel are found in Chapter 3, "Blogetiquette: The Rules of Blogging." He shares his responses to a number of frequently asked questions. For example:

Is "selling" a person, a company, or a product acceptable in the blogosphere?

How to treat copyrighted material in a blog?

Why are corporations afraid of blogging?

What is the "bloatosphere" and what's wrong with it? (Note: Bly cites Steven Streight, president and CEO of Streight Site Systems, as his source for much of the response provided.)

What is "ghost-blogging' and why does it occur?"

What about other types of blogs such as "simulated," "drivel," "sleazy link," "fictional persona," and "link farm?" What does Bly think of each?

Throughout his narrative, Bly inserts a series of "Rules"(also listed in Appendix B) and provides a context for each. (I highlighted each of them to expedite periodic review of them later and suggest that other readers do the same.) He concludes this chapter with Rule 8A: "To be effective marketing vehicles, blogs should be relatively free of marketing. They should contain useful content and the truth, not hype or sales talk. To violate this rule not only costs you sales and credibility, but it also incurs the disdain and wrath of the blogosphere." He makes essentially the same assertion about white papers in an earlier book, The White Paper Marketing Handbook.

In the final chapter, He shares a number of opinions whether or not blogging has a future and many of these opinions are certain to generate controversy. (Bly urges those who disagree with any of them to contact him at rwbly@bly.com. He plans to share feedback with readers of the next edition of this book.) I strongly recommend, however, that the first nine chapters be read with great care, first. I cannot think of a better way to conclude this review than to share the conclusion to Bly's book:

"So blog if you want to. If you don't like blogs, don't bother. And if you think the advice in this book is great, and you want to let me know, or if you think I don't know beans about blogging and that my advice is useless, you can certainly say so - on my blog.

"Best of luck to you in the blogosphere - and outside it!"

Robert Bly's writing style is terrific. He quotes some well-known experts in the direct marketing industry. (Does that make them experts in the blogosphere?) While he's clearly taking the contrarian view in this book, he makes many good points -
- Businesses flock to the latest online fad hoping to find a silver bullet to extend their marketing budgets.
- The effectiveness of blogging in creating sales is over-rated. But he misses a major reason for this. Most of those who are hoping a blog will help their business have no clue how important it is to write the content in a particular way.

Blog writing can help your company achieve higher sales because -

1. Consumers love Google - 70% of all searches for products and services happen on Google.

2. Google loves blogs - Because of the code structure of a blog, Google can crawl them easily. And, Google loves fresh content.

But that's not enough. Your blog must follow a key phrase strategy. If it does, it will better intersect with your prospects. And even that's not enough: you must earn your success on the Internet. There are no silver bullets. You've got to keep at it for months and years.

Bly's book is not wrong in it's approach. For instance, in Rule #11, he states that not every business needs a blog. I agree, but most would benefit from claiming real estate here.

This is all explained and continuously discussed on my blog at Ion Leap dot com.

I just finished reading Bly's book and as a direct response writer, I found his observations on the "blog scene" to be dead on.

When blogging first starting coming up on my radar, I looked into it briefly and didn't understand the fuss people were making over it. It seemed very much like what people used to do on BBSs (I used to be a sysop of a BBS back in the late twentieth century). Anyone could access a BBS and anyone could comment on the author's writings for all the world to see. So, what do I see on blogs? Much the same thing. People read what you write, choose to comment, link to you or you link to them. Same thing, different year.

I also echo Bly's observations that many blogs are unreadable and do little to further marketing goals. Many I've read have interesting things to say, but they're written in long, unbroken blocks of text, which cause me to stop reading part way through out of boredom.

But, the main reason I don't like blogs is because of the toffee-nosed way it's being promoted. That, and I just hate the word "blog." It sounds like something a cat coughed up--which, now that I think about it, might just be an apt description for much of what passes for content out there in blogland.

Many blog evangelists talk about blogging like it's something new and revolutionary. Psh. It's old technology with a facelift! I've heard that "blogging is all about having conversations!" Someone in Bly's book said this very thing. This same guy spoke of blogging in a weird Jack Kerouac-ish way that made me want to reach for an air sickness bag. I envisioned him wearing a tie-dyed shirt, a grateful dead headband, and little John Lennon glasses--typing furiously with two fingers in some off-campus "Café Nervosa."

A great read, Bly's book. I'd recommend it to anyone contemplating blogging so that they can avoid the hype and not be taken in by dewy-eyed blog-angelists.

This book is one of the most disingenuous, uninformed, thinly-veiled attack-jobs I have ever read. I had to put it down after 33 grueling pages. It was that bad.

The author claims to be unbiased, but on page XIII he describes how the book originated with a blog post about his suspicions that blogging was "a waste of time" and a "pure vanity publication". And on page XVII he says: "This [book] is in keeping with my belief that learning computer technology or the technical aspects of the Internet is largely a waste of time for marketers and entrepreneurs." So not only does he not understand what 'unbiased' means, but he admits that he doesn't really understand internet marketing of any sort.

Well, maybe he is at least a good blogger and can share his wisdom with us? No, in fact, he admits that he has no clue how to monetize his blog, right on page XI of the introduction: "So far my blogging has brought me a lot of fascinating discussions with bloggers, but hardly any posts from potential clients."

Okay, so he's not good at blogging, but maybe he did some research about it and can share an informed opinion? No, on page XI he professes that "I am not sure who reads blogs" as if that might not be a relevant thing to know when writing a book about blogs.

Does he at least read blogs himself? Nope. On page 3: "I should also confess that, before I started my own blog, I never read blogs. They failed to engage me, just as I never participated in online forums, chat, news groups, and other casual Internet activities, which seemed to me (with rare exception) a thundering waste of time."

Surely he started reading blogs after starting his own blog, didn't he? Wrong again! On page 23: "I simply don't have the time to read blogs. Or, more accurately, the time I do have I choose to invest in other activities." He doesn't explain how he came to be qualified to write a book on blogs without having spent any meaningful amount of time reading or researching them.

You might then ask: if he doesn't know anything about blogging, why did he write this book? Turning to page XVII, we find out: "I give PowerPoint presentations regularly but would never waste my time learning to use PowerPoint, since I can outsource the layout of my presentations to a freelancer whose fee is about one-tenth my hourly billable rate." Oh!!! Now I get it. The author makes a lot of money, and is worried that blogging will put him out of a job. While I certainly empathize with that, it doesn't exactly make a great platform for writing a so-called "unbiased" and "objective" book about blogging.

But he can't be totally biased, can he? Maybe he has a good word to say about some form of marketing that is not direct mail? Wrong. Page 26: "So many copywriters, ad agencies, and marketing consultants stay away from direct marketing. They don't understand it or know how to use it, and the easy ability to measure sales results would quickly reveal that they are at best incompetent, at worst frauds." Ouch. But wait, there's more! "Unable to make the cash register ring, these consultants and agencies still have to earn a living. So what do they sell? The nebulous, fuzzy concept of 'branding'." Oh, I see!! The author is uncomfortable with ambiguity. Again, I empathize with the tendency to demonize things with which one is uncomfortable, but frankly I expect better from a published author that is presuming to write an "objective" book.

For what it's worth, I am no blogging evangelist, and I agree with his emphasis on measuring marketing activities, including blogging, in terms of ROMD (Return on Marketing Dollars), but I was hoping for a more nuanced, rational, and objective discussion of the pros and cons of blogging than this book seems to provide. Much of marketing isn't directly quantifiable in the way the author would like it to be, but one has to be comfortable dealing with that ambiguity in order to advance beyond tactical marketing activities to strategic ones.

TL;DR version: See review title.

Mr. Bly is a marketing genius. It is not because he has anything of quality to say. It is because he can get so many people to purchase his marketing pitch. As if paying for a product isn't enough, this is pretty much a big advertisement for you to go to his website and blog which are "conveniently" listed more than a few times in the text.

This book is not actually anti-blog. He just uses that as a platform to cause controversy (which increases his sales) and to get people to go to his website. Some of the conclusions he draws from statistics show that this book is not intended to be an honest evaluation of whether a company should create a blog. It seems more of a book that he wrote to sell.

An example of misleading a reader is found on pg.5. He writes, "A study conducted in November 2004 found that thirty-five million Americans read blogs." His conclusion: "That means that more than 80 percent of Americans never read blogs." Sorry Mr. Bly, I fail to see how that is proof that that many people NEVER read blogs. I would be more likely to believe that these people only read a specific blog when it has the information they are seeking. Similar to reading an article on someone's website when it comes up on the search engine. Either way 20% of the population is rather large.

This book is not entirely amiss. There are some helpful hints about utilizing a blog. His marketing background assists in some of these hints.

Overall this book can be skipped. Mr. Bly advocates his direct-marketing methods and down-grades "branding". After reading this book I find Mr. Bly's brand to lack quality. This book is results oriented - measured in book sales and new traffic to his website and blog. Unfortunately he does this at the expense of quality writing.

Some books are said to be worth their weight in gold. This is not one of them.

Also hilarious, but I've learned a lot in this book and will consider it one of my references. Thanks.