May 9, 2005
the porous membrane: why corporate blogging works.
The other day somebody asked me to explain why corporate blogging works. Sure, we know it’s the hot new thing and people are paying attention to it (including big media)… but why?
Why does it work? Seriously.
So I drew the diagram above.
1. In Cluetrain parlance, we say “markets are conversations”. So the diagram above represents your market, or “The Conversation”. That is demarkated by the outer circle “y”.
2. There is a smaller, inner circle “x”.
3. So the entire market, the “conversation” is seperated into two distinct parts, the inner area “A” and the outer area “B”.
4. Area “A” represents your company, the people supplying the market. We call that “The Internal Conversation”.
5. Area “B” represents the people in the market who are not making, but buying. Otherwise know as the customers. We call that “The External Conversation”.
6. So each market from a corporate point of view has an internal and external conversation. What seperates the two is a membrane, otherwise known as “x”.
7. Every company’s membrane is different, and controlled by a host of different technical and cultural factors.
8. Ideally, you want A and B to be identical as possible, or at least, in sync. The things that A is passionate about, B should also be passionate about. This we call “alignment”. A good example would be Apple. The people at Apple think the iPod is cool, and so do their customers. They are aligned.
9. When A and B are no longer aligned is when the company starts getting into trouble. When A starts saying their gizmo is great and B is telling everybody it sucks, then you have serious misalignment.
10. So how do you keep misalignment from happening?
11. The answer lies in “x”, the membrane that seperates A from B. The more porous the membrane, the easier it is for conversations between A and B, the internal and external, to happen. The easier for the conversations on both side of membrane “x” to adjust to the other, to become like the other.
12. And nothing, and I do mean nothing, pokes holes in the membrane better than blogs. You want porous? You got porous. Blogs punch holes in membranes like like it was Swiss cheese.
13. The more porous your membrane (“x”), the easier it is for the internal conversation to inform and align with the external conversation, and vice versa.
14. Not to mention it makes misalignment, if it happens, a lot easier to repair.
15. Of course this begs the question, why have a membrane “x” at all? Why bother with such a hierarchy? But that’s another story.
[AFTERTHOUGHT:] And yes, this works with internal blogs as well, poking holes in the membranes that seperate people within a corporate culture; aligning “the conversation” internally etc.
The other advantage of internal blogging is that it organises conversation into a long-term manageable form. Two people sharing ideas via blogs is a lot more permanent, viral and useful for the company than two people sharing the same information over by the watercooler.
[AFTERTHOUGHT:] Poking holes in membranes subverts hierarchies. Avast, ye scurvies etc.
[UPDATE:] Just added this post to The Hughtrain.
Blogging really works!
http://www.brandinggreece.com
We had realized the importance of this “osmosis” in our organization and have in place the “membranes” for the “conversation”.
Please feel free to visit.
http://forums.adventnet.com/
http://forums.adventnet.com/weblogs.php/
Markets are indeed converations.
Shah of Soapy Detergents
Today’s dose of NIF — News, Interesting & Funny … It’s Wictory Wednesday!
Why Corporate Blogging Works
Though a PubSub query on corporate blogging, I came across this entry on Hugh Macleod’s blog Gapingvoid. This simple discription of why corporate blogs work is right on point. Consistency of messaging, both internally and externally, is one of the…
I can’t help but notice… one of the leading business purposes of blogs these days seems to be to attract the attention of Mainstream Media so that MSM will write about your blog. See Hugh’s comment in the previous post about getting the Danish media interested in English Cut.
Nothing wrong with that as far as it goes, but it’s an obviously limited strategy. When was the last time anyone cared about a corporate web page redesign? Or a telephone installation?
It’s much more interesting to me to think about how a company can use blogs effectively in markets where everyone already has one. It’s about the conversations, not the tools (phone/email/wiki/blog).
If the maon point of your blog is to to get media attention, Katherine, I would say you’re in trouble
“Static is boring and deadly, dynamic is life itself.” — sig
Love it. It’s all about the energy and intent. If there is a corporate toe-the-line blog, as a customer you’ll know it, feel it.
If there is action, response, change and exchange your going to be drawn into to where the good energy is. Great corporate blogs give authentic energy to the “conversation”.
Excellent post Hugh. Thank you.
Very insightful post, Hugh. As an organizational psychologist my major focus is on increasing business literacy within the inner circle (A on your diagram). This is a prerequisite for increasing the effectiveness of the “conversation” between A and B. I used to recommend “Stakeholder Conferences” as the way of improving business literacy. I’m just beginning to appreciate the power of internal corporate blogs to accomplish this goal. My next blog at http://www.TheDeevyReport.blogspot.com will elaborate on this theme…and I’ll give appropriate credit to you, Hugh, for the insights provided.
Ed Deevy.
One good diagram deservers another, hence Mentograph Of A Value Function at my blog … thanks for the inspiration !
>If the main point of your blog is to to get media >attention, Katherine, I would say you’re in >trouble
Nope. The media I care about already know who I am. They’ve been publishing and/or reading me for years.
Corporate blogging
gapingvoid: the porous membrane: why corporate blogging works. I like the diagram and explanation. Makes visual sense of something that perhaps isn’t apparent in other forms.…
gapingvoid: Why Blogs Work
If you’ve been reading the scratchpad for a while, you know that I really like gapingvoid.
Then obviously you’re not in trouble, Katherine
Corporate bloggers: poking holes in membranes
Hugh Macleod of Gaping Void explains why corporate blogging works. The key, says Macleod, is creating a “porous membrane” that enables people within the company having “internal conversations” to relate better with customers outside of the company havi…
Argument for Corporate Blogging
One of the web’s busiest blogging news organizations, Corante points to this piece that makes a cogent argument for the role of blogs in a corporate marketer’s arsenal.Considering that the Syndicate Conference will begin next Tuesday in New York, …
Why Corporate Blogging Works
If you still don’t get the value of corporate blogging. Hugh at Gaping Void explains it in 15 short points and one deep diagram. [read] tags: gaping void | hugh macleod | cluetrain | hughtrainWhat’s a tag?
http://newpersuasion.typepad.com/new_persuasion/2005/05/seems_like_ever.html
Seems like every time I turn around, someone’s handing me an article about blogs.
Align This: Reversing the Company-Centric Blog Trend
Call me jaded, but mostly it’s the Internal Conversation trying damn hard to influence (ahem,
Business Blogs Explained
Hugh at GapingVoid is not only one funny SOB, he’s also wicked smart. Reach him explain why blogging matters/works and you’ll see what I mean. And he’s not afraid to discuss the tough realities of blogging either. Also worth looking at: The Seven Busi…
Blogs go far beyond most peoples wildest dreams. Before the end of 2006 Corporate blogs identified by a recognisable name, ie nike, will the most sought after commodity for any business that spends more than $1,000 on marketing. There will only be three blog sources of any commercial significance, with Google being the major player.
A Commercial Blog if not owned by the business, opens up an external complaints department that any disgruntled customer can post complains onto.
This is the fast track method for a customer to gain power and get attention. How fast would a business react to a complaint if all the customer base was aware of it?
Once big business realises this fact, there will be a stampeed to secure original name blogs before they get into the wrong hands.
Many companies will make overnight fortunes renting out the blogs under a maintenance fee for either redirecting blog sites to the clients main web site or to simply sanitise postings.
Watch business move!
gapingvoid: the porous membrane: why corporate blogging works.
Link: gapingvoid: the porous membrane: why corporate blogging works..
Corporate Blogging
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