Review
For the past five years, Microsoft employee Scoble has maintained one of the most popular blogs on the Internet. Mixing personal notes with passionate, often–controversial commentary on technology and business, his blog is "naked"—i.e., not filtered through his employer′s marketing or public relations department—a key part of its appeal. In this breezy book, Scoble and coauthor Israel argue that every business can benefit from smart "naked" blogging, whether the company′s a smalltown plumbing operation or a multinational fashion house. "If you ignore the blogosphere... you won′t know what people are saying about you," they write. "You can′t learn from them, and they won′t come to see you as a sincere human who cares about your business and its reputation." To bolster their argument, Scoble and Israel have assembled an enormous amount of information about blogging: from history and theory to comparisons among countries and industries. They also lay out the dos and don′ts of the medium and include extensive statistics, dozens of case studies and several interviews with famous bloggers. They consider the darker aspects of blogging as well—including the possibility of getting fired by an unsympathetic employer. For companies that have already embraced blogging, this book is an essential guide to best practice. (Feb.) (Publishers Weekly, December 5, 2005)
"Scoble ... and ... Israel have put together a bible for business bloggers.... This book should be in all public libraries and academic business collections." (Library Journal, January 15, 2006)
"...this book is an essential guide to best practice." (Publishers Weekly, December 5, 2005)
"...essential reading...(would) highly recommend to anyone..." (Financial World, May 2006)
"...reveal a new (blogged) world that is challenging the traditional way of doing business." (LRP, October 2008)
Product Description
According to experts Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, blogs offer businesses something that has long been lacking in their communication with customers -- meaningful dialogue. Devoid of corporate-speak and empty promises, business blogs can humanize communication, bringing companies and their constituencies together in a way that improves both image and bottom line.
The authors use more than 50 case histories to explain why blogging is an efficient and credible method of business communication. You'll find yourself excited about the possibilities blogs present after reading just a few pages. Discover how:
- Prominent business leaders, including Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks, Bob Lutz from General Motors, and Jonathan Schwartz of Sun Microsystems, are beginning to use blogs to connect with their customers in new ways.
- Blogging has changed the rules of communication and competition.
- You can launch an effective blogging strategy and the reasons why you should.
