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Author: Charlie Peverett, Head of Digital Strategy at Neo
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@weareneo #ccdigital
Charlie Peverett
Head of Digital, Neo
Definition of ‘blog’ #1
A contraction of ‘web log’
A diary-style way to publish content easily to the web
Typically displaying the most recent post first
Usually enabling readers to add their comments
@weareneo #ccdigital
@weareneo #ccdigital
Definition of ‘blog’ #2
A revolutionary democratisation of the process of publishing content that has the potential to empower people across the globe to tell their
stories and express their opinions
Definition of ‘blog’ #3
Mainly created by "bald, cauliflower-nosed, young men sitting in their mothers’ basements and ranting”.
– Andrew Marr, Oct 2010
@weareneo #ccdigital
Definition of ‘blog’ #4
@weareneo #ccdigital
…our main website is still too sh*t to add anything to it regularly so we'll dump stuff here instead and hope
someone notices.
Tamsin Bishton-Hemingray (Content Malcontent)
The blog is a bucket
@weareneo #ccdigital
@weareneo #ccdigital
Buckets are great
@weareneo #ccdigital
Some of us will always be more interested in the bucket
@weareneo #ccdigital
@weareneo #ccdigital
but for most of us….
@weareneo #ccdigital
@weareneo #ccdigital
It’s what’s in the bucket that counts
@weareneo #ccdigital
How did we get distracted by buckets?
@weareneo #ccdigital
How did we get distracted by buckets?1. The blog saved me from death by CMS
@weareneo #ccdigital
How did we get distracted by buckets?2. My boss heard about blogging…
@weareneo #ccdigital
How did we get distracted by buckets?3. It seemed like a good idea at the time
@weareneo #ccdigital
In short…
The success of your blog is increasingly tied to what you say - not merely the fact that you’ve chosen to speak
@weareneo #ccdigital
In short…
Alternative platforms may suit your objectives better
@weareneo #ccdigital
In short…
Thinking hard first saves pain later
@weareneo #ccdigital
In short…
We’re seeking to avoid the fate of thousands of organisational blogs.
@weareneo #ccdigital
Blogs with archives that look something like this
• Here’s a video interview of our chief exec visiting Africa • Here’s a press release about our campaign• [huge gap between posts; tumbleweed]• Pictures of us in the office eating cake• I posted this to get fundraising off my back! • [something else, can’t remember what]
@weareneo #ccdigital
It’s a place where content goes to die.
A mishmash of bloggery-pokery for which the technical term is:
Sh*tpot.com@weareneo #ccdigital
Sh*t-pot-dot-com♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
@weareneo #ccdigital
The solution?
@weareneo #ccdigital
Blog
@weareneo #ccdigital
• In early stages of planning, ban the word ‘blog’
@weareneo #ccdigital
• In early stages of planning, ban the word ‘blog’• Replace ‘blogging’ with ‘being interesting and
relevant on a frequent basis’
@weareneo #ccdigital
• In early stages of planning, ban the word ‘blog’• Replace ‘blogging’ with ‘being interesting and
relevant on a frequent basis’• See if the conversation goes somewhere different
Reason 1:You’ll focus more on the purpose, less on the bucket
Ban the blog
@weareneo #ccdigital
Ban the blog
Reason 2:You’ll consider other options for publishing, distributing and framing your content
@weareneo #ccdigital
@weareneo #ccdigital
Ban the blog
Reason 3:
If you do settle on the need for a blog of some kind it will be a positive decision
@weareneo #ccdigital
It’s a case of moving from a reactive model to a strategic one
@weareneo #ccdigital
We need to produce more content / ‘be
social’
@weareneo #ccdigital
We need to produce more content / ‘be
social’
[knee jerk]
@weareneo #ccdigital
We need to produce more content / ‘be
social’
I just signed up for Wordpress!
[knee jerk]
@weareneo #ccdigital
We need to produce more content / ‘be
social’
I just signed up for Wordpress!
We need to communicate
smarter!
[knee jerk] vs
Why? To whom? Where? How?
We need to produce more content / ‘be
social’
I just signed up for Wordpress!
We need to communicate
smarter!
[knee jerk] vs
Why? To whom? Where? How?
We need to produce more content / ‘be
social’
I just signed up for Wordpress!
We need to communicate
smarter!
Main site
Off-site
[knee jerk]
Twitter Apps Blog
vs
Why? To whom? Where? How?
We need to produce more content / ‘be
social’
I just signed up for Wordpress!
We need to communicate
smarter!
Main site
Off-site
[knee jerk]
Twitter Apps Blog
vs
Why? To whom? Where? How?
We need to produce more content / ‘be
social’
I just signed up for Wordpress!
We need to communicate
smarter!
Main site
Off-site
[knee jerk]
Twitter Apps Blog
vs
[maybe]
@weareneo #ccdigital
If you do decide a blog is the right option, here are some good ways to get it right.
@weareneo #ccdigital
What does a good blog look like?
(with thanks to members of E-Campaigners Forum)
@weareneo #ccdigital
Worth remembering:
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Worth remembering:
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder…
@weareneo #ccdigital
Worth remembering:
Usefulness is in the eye of the user
@weareneo #ccdigital
Worth remembering:
And no-one says “I want to find a really good charity blog” (except in charity communications seminars)
@weareneo #ccdigital
Anyone else want to tell us about a blog they admire, and why?
@weareneo #ccdigital
Content strategy – the ‘quad’ model
@weareneo #ccdigital
Substance
• Who’s the audience? Definition is invaluable. • What kind of content do we need?• What topics are both interesting to this defined audience
and relevant to organisational objectives? • Find out what users want using surveys (Google Forms,
Survey Monkey), focus groups and web analytics.• Keep focused on what’s important for the organisation,
refer to high-level objectives (e.g. marketing, policy, PR) wherever possible
@weareneo #ccdigital
Structure
• How should this content be organised and presented?
• What’s the navigation and user experience? • Do we feature our authors? How?• How does this relate to the rest of our content,
and our other digital channels and activities?
@weareneo #ccdigital
Workflow
• Who’s going to make all this happen? • What are the skills, tools and processes required?• How much time and resource is needed? Realistically?• How does this impact on other activities and workflows?
@weareneo #ccdigital
Governance
• What oversight of the project is required? • How are key decisions about the objectives and content
priorities made? • How is change managed and communicated?
@weareneo #ccdigital
Tips & Tricks
• Editorial meetings (weekly / fortnightly)• One-page briefs • An editorial calendar everyone can see and
contribute to (e.g. Google Spreadsheet)• Feedback on success (ad hoc and
structured)
@weareneo #ccdigital
In summary
• Make the case for a blog strategic • Define your audience well• Centre the content in the overlap between audience
and organisational needs• Secure the buy-in and support it really needs• Understand how it’s being used and go with the flow.
@weareneo #ccdigital
Charlie Peverett
Head of Digital, Neo
@weareneo #ccdigital
Image credits
Images reproduced under Creative Commons licence:
Colourful stacked buckets image by Flickr user tanakawho licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/670258156/
Buckets on sale in street image by Flickr user nSeika licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/nseika/6376364681/
Tennis court image by Flickr user EEPaul licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/eepaul/6860515636/
Cat in a bucket image by Flickr user nromagna licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/nromagna/5643588854/
Pissed off cat image by Flickr user Mikko Lumtiala licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikko_luntiala/5068157476/
