Blogging Buzz

It’s been a couple of days now since I suggested that you set up Google Alerts to monitor what is being said about you and your business in the blogosphere.

Have you been surprised by the results?

Was there more going on than you realized?

Was more of it positive or negative?

The following are some tips on the etiquette of dealing with blog posts about you and your company:

Positive posts:
Even if you don’t have a blog of your own:

• Write a comment on the site thanking the blogger for writing about you or your company.
• Provide some additional info that supports the article
• Write a comment that encourages the discussion

If you do have a blog:

• Link to the blogger in a post from your site
• If you are really impressed with the content on the site, add it to your blogroll

Consider:

• Sending an email to the blogger, thanking them again and even striking up a relationship with them.
• Offer to write a guest article for them or giving them additional info about your company
• Offer to let them run a contest with free merchandise from your business

Negative posts:

Even if you don’t have a blog:

• Write a comment on the site – identify who you are and avoid being defensive; if appropriate thank them for the feedback and mention how you are following up
• Respond minimally to the criticism – bloggers will sometimes become more conciliatory once they realize there is a real live person behind the business.

If you do have a blog:

• You can refer to the site and give your side of the comments if you want
• You can continue the discussion on your blog, especially if you enjoy a lively debate

Note: Some people like to rebut negative comments head on in a like manner – I think it is hard to win in this type of competition – like wrestling with a pig – you both get dirty!
 

Instead, Consider:

• Sending an email to the blogger and expressing your concerns with what has been said (if you feel it is incorrect)
• Offer to provide your side of the story

In a future post, I’ll discuss something even worse than negative comments…

What to do when bloggers are talking more about your competitors than they are about you!!

photo credit: fiskfisk