Do corporate blogs really matter?
posted by Heath Buckmaster on October 29, 2007
It’s close to Halloween, and the moon has been waxing and waning for the last 28 days in preparation for the holiday…actually, we had a full moon a couple days ago, just barely missing the festivities.
But back to blogging: Blogging waxes and wanes too. There are some weeks when I feel inspired by a topic and can’t wait to get my thoughts written down…other weeks, and weeks, go by and I struggle to think of something that anyone would want to read.
On my personal blog it’s easier, because I don’t have to talk about technology or Intel all the time - but here, it needs to be relevant, and something that people will actually want to read and hopefully comment on. But that got me thinking - no one seems to complain when there is a drop off in posts on here…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a comment come through that says, “Hey, you haven’t posted in a while, here’s something I’d love to hear about.”
Does anyone notice if there is a dearth in posts? Do you have a favourite blogger here in IT @ Intel that you keep a watch for? Have they posted lately? Do you comment regularly on their posts to let them know you’re engaged in the conversation and appreciate the opinions, insight, whatever you get out of the online relationship?
Do corporate blogs really matter?
I’ve seen some statistics lately (and I can’t find the actual document so I’m going to have to speak in generality) that show a large number of people come to intel.com for research. They might be looking up specs on a new motherboard, or perhaps information on the differences between the processor products. Perhaps they are visiting because they want to know about Intel’s hiring practices and employee group offerings. Who knows…I haven’t seen the reports to that level of detail, but I have seen enough that it makes me wonder - where do our blogs fit into that picture.
The IT @ Intel blogs don’t necessarily talk about Intel products specifically. We don’t get into the nitty-gritty of processors, motherboards, networking components, memory components, etc. We’re supposed to be here to give an insider view of IT at Intel - maybe for recruiting purposes, maybe just to show off a bit, and maybe to let people know that there are human beings sitting here behind the technology making the magic happen (or at least waving our wands really hard).
So what purpose do we really serve in building a relationship/community with you the consumer of technology? Do you look to us for insight into new products you should be interested in? Do you look to us to hear about internal company workings? What topics interest you?
Here’s my mini-challenge to the IT @ Intel readers - tell us what you want to hear about! We’ll be happy to let you know if you’re poking on something confidential that is off limits (maybe even to us), but I’m sure there are topics out there that we’d be happy to discuss and start the conversation going.
This blog exists only if you stay interested…so what do you want to hear about?
* Images, product and company names referenced on these blogs are copyrights and trade marks of their respective companies.
Comments (11)
tagged: blogging, corporate blogs
Comments
Oct 29 | Michael Molin said:
Software development on the base of Intel’s Silverthorne (and further Moorestown) processor.
Oct 30 | James Dellow said:
Ask not what the blogosphere can do for you, but what can you do for the blogosphere…
Oct 31 | Search Marketing Consultant said:
I like most blogs but this is my favorite> OverTheHorizon and Tehcnometria.
Oct 31 | Steve W said:
I’m a Storage Architect and I read two kinds of tech blogs — Storage-specific ones from major vendors and analysts (about a dozen), and more general IT OPS blogs. I read the Storage blogs almost daily.
From the IT OPS blogs like this one, I’m looking to see how you are “doing IT” and comparing it to how my company is doing the same. It’s not unlike me asking my friends/acquaintances in other companies how they are doing things. Since you are Intel and highly successful, I presume you are ahead of the curve, and I’m trying to do my part to get my company there as well.
When you infrequently post (which I notice), I infrequently check-in, and therefore, usually am behind most posts (in time) and don’t usually comment on a “cold” post.
Oct 31 | Heath said:
Michael: a good techie topic - I’ll ask around and see if we have anyone here who can speak to that.
James: While I agree with the premise, it’s also nice to get feedback on what people like and don’t like :-)
Steve: Agree on the frequency of posting - everything I’ve read externally says that frequent, short, quick nuggets of info tend to get picked up faster. I’m definitely one of those who dreads reading multi-page posts, unless they are REALLY engaging. As for how we are “doing IT” - that’s what we’re here for…hopefully the majority of posts in the IT @ Intel section give some insight into what we do within the Intel walls.
Nov 01 | Michael Sampson said:
I like reading about what you are thinking about, and how you are making a difference in the lives of Intel staff.
M.
Nov 01 | Heath said:
Michael - I’m actually about to publish a pretty long article on creating communities within IT - it’s an example of where I’ve hopefully made a difference in the lives of 300+ IT employees.
Nov 04 | Yvan Bertjens said:
I would like to hear some of the management problems you encounter when doing your job.
So what if you don’t always post a full blog about processors and work related stuff. I think that gives me the chance to learn to know you a bit as an individual person and witch views you have on different things in life. That way I can understand everything you post even more how you look from a certain point of view, because I know that bit of your background. So that’s why I combine your personal blog and this one.
I think a corporate blog really makes a difference. A really possitive one! kind regards. Yvan B.
Nov 04 | Michael Molin said:
And I guess that Intel’s participating in Google’s Open Handset Alliance is also a good theme to know about. Is it correlating with the World Ahead Program?
Nov 08 | Asghar Ali said:
i had bought a intel motherboardd915gav/d915pgn . this is dead now, and it is within warranty period serial no. is (BQAV43203***) PLEASE PROVIDE ME SUPPORT MY ADDRESS: […]
Nov 08 | Heath said:
Asghar - if you are interested in general product support you can visit this link (www.intel.com/support/product.htm?iid=homepage+hdrnav2prodsupport), however if you have a defective product you will want to return it to the location of purchase for repair or replacement.
Thanks!