Builders and Contractors Exchange
Weekly Bulletin: 11 jan 2008
so you want to start a blog - part 1
Web Logs, also known as blogs, have been popping up all over the construction industry. Contractors and consultants are using them to connect with and inform customers, keep abreast of industry trends, and to increase name visibility. Many contractors have web pages these days, but blogs actually allow readers and customers to interact with your company, provide comments to articles, and give feedback to your company. In deciding whether your company should start a blog, you should consider the time and resources necessary to maintain a blog and proactively address any legal issues that may arise.
Every company should also consider developing a blogging policy to cover employees' personal blogging. Some of your employees may already have personal blogs that are not affiliated with your company. As of September 2007, Technorati, a web site tracking blogs, was tracking more than 106,000,000 blogs. What happens if one of your employees discusses your company or internal work disputes on their personal blogs? A corporate blogging policy will let your employees know what topics are inappropriate for their personal blogs. This series will address issues you should consider in deciding whether or not to start a company blog and developing a company blogging policy.
Should my company have a blog?
In deciding whether or not to start a blog, consider: (a) the time and resources necessary to maintain a blog; (b) appropriate content for your company blog, bearing in mind intellectual property, consumer protection, and privacy laws; and (c) developing terms and conditions for your blog to protect the company and comply with necessary federal and state regulations.
Time and Resources
If you would like to have a company blog, first consider the time and resources that will go into blogging. Think about your goals for the blog. Would you like to attract customers by writing about your services and projects? Do you simply want to increase name visibility? Would you like to inform consumers about construction industry trends and products? Who will write the blog? Some companies hire professional writers, but there can be drawbacks to hiring someone not intimately familiar with your business and the construction industry. Ideally, the best industry bloggers are usually those knowledgeable about their topic, with good writing skills and the ability to defuse disputes with customers or readers. If you, or an employee, fit that description it may be more efficient to write your own blog.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this article or any other related matters, please contact:
This article is meant to bring awareness to this topic and is not intended to be used as legal advice.