Problems with Blogging

Blogs have been coming at us quickly in the past few years. What used to be strictly used by "cyber-nerds", are now used as a common marketing tool. Blogs are seen as effective marketing tools because they are highly intreactive, highly efficient, and easy to use. However, some marketing experts are worried that because blogs have come on with such intensity and so quickly that they will lose their novelty just as quickly. "In our technology driven world, marketing purists and market watchers alike generally hold the belief that when big corporations adopt something that was once a niche idea, a cool concept or a clever marketing tool, then that thing has almost definitely lost its edge. It's become mainstream, manufactured and slick (Turmann, 2005, p.16)." Customers will no longer feel that the company is actually trying to reach out and get feedback. It will become like a suggestion box: common, insignificant and hardly used.

Other problems are quickly arising with marketing blogs. "Leaking of information, sharing of secrets with competitors and violating federal securities laws are a few things the blog world has introduced (Turmann, 2005, p.16)." For one company a blogger cost the company over $10 million. "A speculative post about how a disposable Bic pen can break impenetrable Kryptonite bicycle locks resulted in the company paying out US$10 million in replacement locks, thanks to the two million people who read about this via blogs (Sudhaman, 2005, p. 19). Freedom of speech is another main issue that needs to be addressed in the blogging world. How much right do employees have to express their opinions and dispense knowledge about their employers? With no way to fact check or be certain of credibility, is it safe for customers to believe and take advice dispensed on blogs? I wont even get started with comment spam!

Double-edged blog power puts marketers on guard , By: Sudhaman, Arun, Media Asia, 15621138, 7/1/2005 Database: Communication & Mass Media Complete

Blogging in danger of going the way of email in marketing , By: Turmann, Bjorn, Media Asia, 15621138, 10/7/2005Database: Communication & Mass Media Complete