Blogs aren’t about control
It’s tempting to think that you are in charge of your business. It might even look like you’re the one calling all the shots. What we often fail to remember, however, is that, at most, we control just one thing. . .ourselves. We are responding to the situations we find ourselves in and doing our best to create the situations we want to be in.
When thinking about blogs perhaps it should not surprise me that people often worry about how much control they’ll have.
What if I don’t want people to comment?
What if someone leaves a comment I don’t like?
What if someone links to my blog from an inappropriate site?
While you do have choices about what happens on your blog, you can’t control the other person and what they do elsewhere. Sure, you can disable comments (or not post a comment), yet that doesn’t stop someone from leaving that same comment somewhere else. To me however, that seems like saying to your audience, “Please do business with me someplace else,” rather than seeking to engage them directly on your blog. Obviously there may be some people who you choose not to interact with or do business with, but that’s an entirely different matter.
Read great thoughts about business, control, and social media
- Wendy Piersall seeks to answer the question, How Can You Keep Control of Your Brand with a Blog & Social Media?
- Valeria Montoni suggests that, You’re Asking the Wrong Question
- Geoff Livingston describes how, Fear Kills Social Media Efforts
“Social media involves conversation and conversation involves moving away from controlling the message. That’s a big shift for a lot of people.”
~ Valeria Maltoni
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[…] för ett företag i marknadsföringssyfte handlar om att bygga trovärdighet och transparens. Shonnie Lavender skriver om just problematiken för företag och företagsblogg. Jag har påpekat gång efter annan att vi […]
Pingback by Brainjam » Släpp kontrollbehovet om du bloggar för företag... — October 31, 2007 @ 5:23 pm
Great post, Shonnie.
Whilst a lot of people don’t like it, a comment that disagrees with what your blog post is about is an excellent way to generate discussion, and to get you thinking outside of your comfort zone.
I’ve learnt a lot from what my readers have said in their blog comments, especially those that offer a difference of opinion.
Comment by David Airey — November 1, 2007 @ 7:11 am
[…] lose trust. Using blog to market your company is all about building trust and being transparent. Shonnie Lavender writes just about this problem for enterprise and blogging. I have time and again told you that we have to […]
Pingback by Brainjam » Let go of your need of control when you run a business blog — November 5, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
David — Thanks for chiming in. I think it says a lot about a person who is willing to be open to different opinions and ideas. Not necessarily an easy place to stand, yet, as you said, it can be very fertile ground.
Bengt — First, thanks for translating your post! I especially appreciate your writing, “Using blog to market your company is all about building trust and being transparent.” At least in this culture (US) we’re generally not taught to be transparent or authentic. Instead we’re taught to put on a show that others will like/approve of. So it’s helpful to have reminders that control isn’t what’s desired anyway.
Comment by Shonnie Lavender — November 7, 2007 @ 10:08 am