I was listening to the UStream feed from Hawaii on Saturday. While I was generally impressed with the state’s emergency preparedness planning, there was one piece of advice that I think needs revisiting. When asked where people should turn for evacuation details, officials advised checking the routes printed in the phone book.
With more people ditching their landlines and even more of us relying on the Internet and smartphones for information, just assuming people have a phone book seems out of touch.
Do you have a phone book? And where would you turn first for advice in an emergency?
My friend and uber-trainer Lee Watts asked me the other day about collaborative blogs. His idea is to bring together several colleagues in related fields (i.e., sports performance, nutrition, physical therapy, and so forth) to create a broader and more dynamic go-to resource. His question got me thinking about the broader pros and cons of collaborative blogs. Clearly, it’s a good idea for some businesses–but not necessarily for everyone.
There are definitely some benefits to having a collaborative blog, including:
potentially richer content across a sector, industry, or profession
you aren’t responsible for all the content
there are more people to share the posting load (which is exponentially more valuable when the primary posters aren’t natural writers)
the potential to attract a more diverse audience drawn in by one or more of the key areas of expertise
But there are also some downsides:
your company loses its unique branding
loss of control over the content (versus having your own blog)
you gain responsibility for bad content, but without the ability to remove it (i.e., whatever is on your collaborative blog reflects on your brand)
there’s a danger of losing blog focus
it’s harder to fire someone if they’re producing badly written or dull content
My recommendation: Keep your own blog and use guest posts to beef up your content and create opportunities for cross-blog collaboration. This will allow you to (1) keep your branding intact while showcasing your broader referral network; and (2) guest post to other blogs (and expand your visibility with new audiences). The exceptions: If you believe your area of expertise is too narrow to sustain a blog or you are unlikely to post at regular intervals.
The H1N1 virus is serious business, but talking about flu prevention shouldn’t be deadly dull. Now it’s not, thanks to this public service announcement by “hip hop doc” John Clarke, whose day job is medical director for the Long Island Railroad.
I like how the judges thought about their primary audience (H1N1 is disproportionately affecting kids, teens, and 20-somethings) and looked for an approach that focuses on how to communicate, not just what to say.
During the MarketingProfs Digital Conference last week, Intel’s Michael Brito suggested that “social media is culture driven.” His point was that companies need to be careful because what works in the U.S. might not work elsewhere. (Remember the Chevy No-va campaign?)
But is this really about social media, or is it more broadly about context and communications? What do you think?
Each week I’m highlighting 3 or 4 posts, surveys, and other news that I have read and/or tweeted about that you may not have seen. As the name implies, I think they deserve a second look.
Here’s your second look for this week:
Ask Why, Not What. Strategy rules. Mitch Joel, author of the upcoming Six Pixels of Separation, points out that too many people ask “what are we doing…?” (a tactical question) when they should be asking “why are we doing…?”
Blogging Drives Business. Hubspot looked at small businesses with and without blogs. Those with blogs had 55 percent more visitors. Some good food for thought here.
Perfect Pushup. A profile of Alden Mills, who talks about how being a Navy SEAL prepared him for business and entrepreneurship.
Empowering Women to End Poverty. This New York Times Magazine piece on the linkages between women’s rights, empowerment, and fighting poverty offers a look at what’s possible and how much is left to do. One big question I’d ask the authors: Why is microfinance so much more successful in Asia than in Africa?
Welcome to Steigman Communications and the Independent Thinking blog. Daria Steigman is a business-savvy communications strategist who helps organizations develop and execute communications solutions to help them achieve their business goals. Her blog looks at the business of running a business, entrepreneurship, communications, social media, strategic thinking, and--of course--Independent Thinking.
I was listening to the UStream feed from Hawaii on Saturday. While I was generally impressed with the state’s emergency preparedness planning, there was one piece of advice that I think needs revisiting. When asked where people should turn for evacuation details, officials advised checking the routes printed in the phone book.
My friend and uber-trainer 
