eBiz Tomorrow by Chris Salazar

Each corporation has several different entities and business units. Somehow, someway all of these must fit together to work towards the overall business strategy. Its imperative that each corporation have their own brand, but still hold together and create one…this is especially true for corporate online communities.

In an attempt to show this, I’m noting all of the different business units in a typical corporation:

• IT
• Marketing/PR
• Finance/Accounting
• Channel Partners

For every company this may be different, but these entities MUST work together for the overall purpose of the corporation. However, each must take into consideration their target market and specific customer.

Here’s some examples of different brands for each:

• IT - “The Techies”
  • Your experts in all the back-end tech stuff that not very many other people even understand. Your brand is “geek” and use this to attract these types of people.
  • Tech shows, blogs with technical info, podcasts, videocasts…doesn’t matter what it is, it should be TECHY!
  • Community Actions: Create tech shows, blogs, forums podcasts and videocasts demonstrating the capabilities of your products. Think about what “you” as a techy would want, and create it! Host user forums, live demos, and work closely with user groups during customer events.
• Marketing/PR - “Creative and Customer Facing”
  • These groups touch the customer. All eyes are on them, messaging is on them, they’re the face of the company. Again, speak your customers language, but stick to what you’re good at (leave the tech stuff to the techies)
  • Informal blogs, marketing campaigns that reach the customer, reach out to user groups and connect them with IT folks. Make the connections, generate leads, gain interest…and do all of this informally (thats the key)
  • Community Actions: Use PR and Blogs together as compliments. However, do not confuse them. Marketing should make sure the online community is involved in all customer touch points (events, product launches, R&D, etc). When creating PRs, Marketing should create two versions…1) the PR, and 2) a human version (informal) of that for the blogs
• Finance/Accounting - “It’s all about the numbers! Show me the money!”
  • Provide customers with the good numbers. Provide all of the other business units with the right numbers to pave ways for improvement.
  • Financial advisors need numbers, provide these to them. However, always, always be accurate.
  • Community Actions: You’re the number geeks, show your expertise. Do not be afraid to boast how well the company is doing or even a specific product! Strategically let your customers know through the blogs, events, or even website…just make sure this does not come off as bragging. Customers don’t like big egos.
• Channel Partners - “Customer Outlets…the VARs”
  • Other than direct sales, channel partners bring in the majority of the customers. Strengthen relationships with VARs, work with Marketing to create tools and campaigns that are beneficial for your partners.
  • Help partners increase visibility of your products/services, encourage them to promote them too!
  • Community Actions: Create tools your VARs can actually use. Videocasts, webinars, demos…all of this is good, but make sure the content is relevant. Partners are very specific in their needs, get one of your Partner experts talking to customers. Channels need a spokesperson, whether this be a blogger, podcaster…it’s important.
    

Each business unit can work on creating and enhancing these brands. All can work together to create a group of bloggers that target each one of these, or even a set of podcasts with an expert from each brand involved. Doing this will inevitably reach your customers in a variety of different ways.

Each brand should have one individual who represents them and touches the customer. This person should be savvy enough to know about the industry, company, product/service, and their specific brand. As each person markets their brand, they will all be working together to improve the overall brand of the corporation. This shows synergy…synergy is attractive and customers like it!

The rise of social media sites has got some people wondering about how politics might/will play an important role in future elections. Some even think that the election will be online. Either way, what’s going to happen? Can these really exist on one platform?

The future will tell, but already political developers, AKA political enthusiasts, have started using social media to their advantage. Mike Davidson, a web/design consultant, dives into MySpace and Facebook quite often. One of his interns, even created a facebook widget, “I Voted for Al Gore.” Whether fake or not, there’s no stopping politicians from creating widgets like these on MySpace and Facebook.

What does this mean? It means that Social Media is changing how users receive their content, either through RSS feeds, widgets, social media sites, users/voters are evolving. Politicians need to evolve as well. Here’s where the power of ONE really kicks into gear. Have one person add the widget and before you know it thousands of users will have it on their site.

Here’s some snapshots of the cool widget…

This is how you add the widget to your facebook…very easy!

Here’s what the end result looks like

As an intern who has started working in Corporate America, I understand how difficult it can be to manage work, school, and life. The transition is not easy, which is why I am reaching out to ALL interns and NEW hires to form a network.

As of late, intern bloggers have raised the question on whether or not they should be allowed to blog. I believe there is no question, every intern should be allowed and ENCOURAGED to blog!

However, there are certain things an intern SHOULD not do…which is why I think a network can help! Furthermore, interns need guidance from others who are experiencing the same things, which is when the network would step in.

If you know of anyone, or if you are an intern please respond!

Here is a list that I have compiled of other interns

(it is short, but it will grow):

• Matt Sokoloff - New York Intern
• Leslie - Kansas Intern
• George Woods - Virginia Intern
• …

Please let me know if you find any other interns. Also, you may want to visit the blogs above, they have interesting posts!

This is definately an interesting find since it illustrats how blogging is changing and NOT just a fad. Although, blogging is not for everyone, I believe the LAPD can really benefit.

Just like any company, the LAPD now has the opportunity to connect with millions of people online and start a community. I wonder how many other police departments will join in?

Whenever I think of the police, I do not think internet.  Either way, police departments can easily harness the internet and use it to their advantage.  Especially since blogging could eventually become the prefered method of finding information (it already is for me).   

What are the implications of the LAPD blogging?

• Blogging is now a new form of communication and is accepted
• The LAPD wants to form relationships with their online audience
• The blog can be used to post new "most wanted lists" or special news alerts
• Time is changing…I predict that other police departments with join in

This is definately an interesting find. Blogging is almost mainstream, this is really a big jump.

Visit the LAPD here

What could be Second Life's competitor, Doppelganger, is launching the PCD Music Lounge aimed at providing teens with the ultimate experience of looking cool, dancing like a star, and making new friends ONLINE in a PG environment.

Named, the PCD lounge, it will first be opened to some of the Pussycat Dolls fans, then it will open its doors to the rest of the public.I recently had a podcast about Second Life talking about how I think its AWESOME, but here comes another awesome aimed at teens. Some view Second Life as an online threat to young audiences as some parts are NC-17, but the PCD lounge is strictly PG. Obviously aimed towards young teens, this may be the new hot spot.

Robert Scoble has discussed problems with him and his son using Second Life. Although Second Life is taking measures to filter the "bad" content, perhaps his son would like to try the PCD lounge. What is his favorite band/artist? What if his favorite artist had a lounge, would he join?

Here's why I think the PCD lounge is attractive:

1. AOL Instant Messanger is embetted in the lounge. How many teens use AIM? My point exactly. The PCD lounge is marketed at arguably the most used program by teens. GENIOUS!

2. New and Hip Music. Nightclubs will feature today's hottest songs and users will have a chance to buy the CD right there on the spot. Artists like the Black Eyed Peas and Gwen Stefani will make periodic appearances, which is very cool. Who knows maybe you can even get an autograph!

3. Cool clothes. Instead of charging a subscription to join, the PCD lounge will allow users to buy clothes to make their avatar cool. Face it, who is NOT going to "makeover" their avatar? The business model is simple, provide an online virtual world that is safe and allow users to buy "real" stuff. I can see it now, "Mom, Can I get a gift card to the PCD lounge for my bday?"

4. Virtual body guards. The virtual lounges are equipped with bouncers who you can run to if a user is getting out of hand. Let the bouncer know that a user is harassing you and he will do the rest.

Here's some feedback I found about the PCD lounge:

"It's Awesome, Wonderful Graphics, Great Music, Lots To Do, Fantastic Staff!! The Best Thing I've Seen And Experienced Since The Advent Of PC's…Now That's Saying Something…TY, Gidget"

2) When you first log in there's a world map, as this is a U.S. Club - I thought it would be very cool for example every so often the club moves location. Every club will have a slightly different look. So the set locations could be: Miami,LA, New York, San Fransisco."

What are your thoughts?

Web 2.0 is bringing the blogosphere together and forming online communities.  Blogs have been great at forming communities and now we can share our OPMLs (RSS subscription lists). 

"Share My OPML" allows the online community to share feeds with anyone else.  Want to know what Robert Scoble, TechCrunch, Engadget, Tech.Memeorandum, and Techdirt are reading?  Just go to Share My OPML and view the Top 100 feeds, click on the XML link and subscribe. 

This seems like a great idea, but I still have some questions:

• Who controls the Top 100 list?
• Will users have the ability to pre-select or customize their Top 100?
• Who will monitor for spammers?
• Will this be seen as a value-add or just creating more work?

Here's a snapshot of the homepage on Share My OPML.  Notice who is in the top 5…will this turn into a competition?

What are your thoughts?

Jeremiah has talked a lot about what community marketing is, since it is a rather hot topic.  With all the community marketing talk, I've been wondering how does a company reach out to bloggers?  Or should they?

There's really been an overwhelming response that blogging is in fact not a fad and it does impact businesses.  This is our foundation, but now we need to figure out HOW we (as a company) reach out to bloggers and embrace this change.

Kevin Briody, community marketing manager at Windows Live has some interesting thoughts as he tries to break down the five ways to communicate with bloggers:

1. Listen and Learn
2. Support, energize, get involved in and help build the community
3. Connect bloggers and the community back to the product teams
4. Help the community connect with each other
5. Get the hell out of the way

I believe Kevin is really on the right track and he will do a great job at Windows Live. I especially like his first tip to "Listen and Learn."  I previously talked a little about this in how to become a successful blogger but I believe it deserves more attention.  That's really where it should start!

I look forward to learning more about Kevin and his works at Microsoft Live.  Wow, him and Scoble are really doing their thing!

Take a look here at Robert Scoble's dinner with the Microsoft Live folks

This seems to be a hot topic as of late and I can definately see why. The battle is simply between those who think blogging is only for the elite and blogging is for everyone to engage in the conversation.

Some strongly believe that the elite bloggers who have all the right things to say make the blogosphere go round. In fact, the claim is that the blogosphere is losing key components of the online conversation because "we are not building some kind of governance into blogging. We're losing standards and rules. We're losing form. We're losing the opportunity to adopt widespread opinions."

What a bold move to say that we need to implement governance into blogging. Then what's the point of blogging? I thought blogging was about writing down one's thoughts (like a diary) to engage in an online conversation. Yet, others are telling the world that need a government body to monitor blogs…WHY, so we can articially control the content around the blogosphere? Sorry, but that ruins the point of a blog…looks like PR firms dont get it.

I am glad others agree with me, including Mike Sacks, who believes that everyone should have the right to blog and PR is: engaging in conversation with a target audience.

Take a look at Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, authors of Naked Conversations. The conversations that make the blogosphere go round should be UNFILTERED. We don't need a government body telling us what content we can and cannot post. THE BLOGOSPHERE IS ONE BIG CONVERSATION!

:sigh: Anyone else with me, Robert, Shel and a select few?

I don't know about you, but when I hear someone talk about how much money corporations are making, I tend to think of the agressive, fast talker agency that is trying desparately to get $$ from you. They conceivable make a product/service sound the BEST, when sometimes thats not the case.

Do not get me wrong, all businesses are not like this, but this is where I see it going. BUT, blogs have a chance to put these businesses in check and force them back to their roots–the CUSTOMER!

Blogs are not bringing anything different than what we already know. We started off wanting to please the customer, but we have drifted away from this goal as increasing profits seems to be first priority.

Here's why I think Blogs are a REALITY CHECK for corporations:

1. Blogs force companies to focus on their customers
   • Customers have POWER! …BUYING POWER that is
   • If you focus on the customer, profits will come
2. Informal Blogs create "trust"
   • Customers want to feel safe with companies
   • Establishing trust enhances relationships
   • Relationships will bring business
3. Blogs force companies to consider them as the "NEW PR"
   • the NEW PR = Public Relations
   • I do not like to think of blogs as PR, but in a way they are because you are creating a conversation with other people and/or customers
4. Blogs help companies communicate with customers at THEIR level
   • This is important!
   • Communicating with customers at their level creates a strong relationship (personal and business)
5. Blogs tell your customers: "I CARE!"
   • Show that you care for your customers, not just want their money
   • Allowing customers to talk openly about your products/services is KEY…even if you receive negative feedback

A corporation must focus on fulfilling the needs of their customer. This has been a focus for the corporate world since the beginning of time and blogs offer a way to reach your customer!

Want to increase your profits? Well, tisten to your customer! Allow them to communicate with you! Show them you care!

Here's a list of others who are talking about PR and blogging:

• PR stands for Relating to the Public - Jeremiah Owyang
• 7 Tips on Pitching Bloggers - Rohit Bhargava
• Thinking out loud: Is the PR blogosphere fragmenting? - C Basturea
• Are PR companies tempted to make false promises on "new media" communications? - Silicon Valley Watcher

What are YOUR thoughts about PR and blogging?