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This should have been the title for my session on corporate blogging at SoCon11 on Saturday.

That’s the greatest frustration for bloggers.

Forget getting people to care and engage.

The question on everyone’s mind:

How do I simply attract a meaningful audience?

Here’s the deck that framed the SoCon11 session on blogging.

The words “Content Is Not King” triggered an audible gasp from session participants.

Once folks refilled their lungs, we had a good discussion on what it means to create “compelling content” that stands out from the noise.

One final point that I think is fresh –

Check out the following screen scrapes from two of EMC’s blogs.

Whoever is leading EMC’s blogging charge gets it.

Chuck’s Blog:

corporate blog design

Chuck’s Blog reflects the standard corporate ID.

Natalie’s Corner:

mom blog design

But rather than force Natalie Corridan Gregg to conform to the corporate “look and feel” guidelines, her blog enjoys appropriate design latitude for the topic of work-life balance.

Yet, Natalie’s blog is still highlighted on the EMC community page (hangs off its own URL as opposed to the EMC domain).

Very smart.

It’s a perfect example of how technical companies can show their humanity.

P.S. A colleague who works at EMC shared with me that part of the company’s “secret sauce” lies in decentralizing blogging in the spirit of authenticity. While it’s been a team effort, Jamie Pappas has been instrumental in forging the company’s Web 2.0 mentality.


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