I Want You

Do you read blogs? If so you might be able to help me with my research.

My aim is to gain greater perspective on the things that blog-readers value; and how corporate blogs can be brought in line with these values.

So if you fancy yourself as a bit of an information connoisseur who regularly reads blogs I’d love it if you could share some of your thoughts and insights about corporate blogs with me.

If you’re interested in participating in the study please contact me on:

corporateblogs@live.com or @CorprteBlogStdy

You will be given a $20NZ voucher in appreciation for your time.

It would be great if you were located in Dunedin, but if not then all I require is that you have a Skype connection and a webcam.

Is it Wrong for Bloggers Accept Perks?

This isn't exactly related to my research question but nonetheless it's very interesting.

In the 'real world' perks are a part of everyday business, for example movie or restaurant reviewers are given perks all the time. There's a bit of a fuss when a doctor subscribes unproven medicine in order to garner gifts...but on the whole perks go largely unnoticed in day-to-day business.

But will the online community demand/reward a higher moral code?

We tend to trust that bloggers' are giving us their unadulterated opinion but it seems that this unbiased viewpoint is being challenged by corporates trying to swing the buzz in their favor e.g. Moms get freebies to appraise

Is this OK, or is it threatening something that we all hold dear....the truth. I used ask500 to test the water on this (pie chart above) and the results were varied to say the least. One third of the 85 respondents wanted the gift or perk disclosed by the blogger while almost the same amount saw no problem with it....hmmm.

These the two comments that the ask500 poll got:

"Is it OK when your doctor receives cash bonuses and trips to Disneyworld in exchange for prescribing a new, poorly tested drug?....in principle, how would you feel? If you are going to accept bribes, no matter what they are called, you should say so when blogging. dauguy Cancel

Bloggers are not news people. They like to SAY they are, but they are not. Anyone with a computer can be a blogger. Even though the newspapers are disappearing, I think we'll still see people gravitate to those same newspaper's websites for their news. They've just got to keep promoting themselves as LEGITIMATE news sources to help people weed through the opinion-piece-without-evidence free-speech artists sillynilly

I have to admit I was surprised by this...I had an inkling that the online community would demand more from bloggers'. In the past we've seen the online community force Kevin Rose (founder of Digg) to put his company in the firring line to uphold what the community saw as right. Perhaps there just hasn't been a catalyst for this backlash yet, or perhaps we don't actually see bloggers as impartial?

As more and more bloggers' are tempted to endorse products/services and as a result the integrity of blogs/bloggers' comes under scrutiny it wouldn't surprise me if a similar forceful demand is placed on bloggers' in the near future. Or then again may be no one cares that much?

It seems from both the votes and the comment above that regardless of how this issue evolves, transparency will be a crucial element in allowing bloggers' to continue accepting gifts.

It will certainly be interesting to see how it evolves. Do you have an issue with bloggers' accepting gifts?

Online Relationship Marketing

There are numerous definitions of RM one of the more favoured descriptions states that; Relationship marketing is to identify, establish, maintain, enhance and when necessary also to terminate relationships with customers and other stakeholders, at a profit, so that the objectives of all parties are met, and that this is done by a mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises (Grönroos, 1994). Gummesson (1994) expands on this, by stating; RM recognizes that everyone is a part-time marketer and that marketing is not confined to the full-time marketers of the marketing and sales departments. It recognizes that both the customer and the seller can be active. They should see each other as partners in a win-win relationship, this co-operative atmosphere between buyer and seller, which in turn sets a stage for mutual adaptation (Metcalf, Frear, & Krishnan, 1990).

Now it doesn't take a genius to see that the above descriptions of RM are becoming increasingly evident in our connected world. It is clear that the amount of online data available prior to purchase, and during interaction with consumers as well as the ease and speed of online CRM communication tools such as email, tweets, and blogs posts allow businesses to 'manage' customer relationships in a much more effective and ‘personally customised’ way than ever before. But are the advances in communication, information gathering, and customisability of online retail offerings just features of online retailing or do they fundamentally challenge conceptual framework of RM?

As our use of the Internet continues to evolve there are some Internet specific issues which seem to be emerging, obviously interaction is now a two way public affair, and corporates are much more accountable for their actions than ever before. But should this cause managers to re-think their communication strategies? Only if they were operating unethically prior to the social-web. But as for the company who has always strived to deliver greater value, sought feedback from stakeholders, and truly attempted to connect with it's consumers in a meaningful way does the web really change their RM principles...well no not really. They simply have a greater tools through which these relationships can be fostered.

The fact that human beings are the central part of the social-web means that the new advances and in technology do not fundamentally change relationship marketing, problems and issues experienced online are often merely extensions issues or consumer needs dealt with in the real world or companies failing to utilise these tools in an appropriate way.