The Other Side of Blogs

I found the blog “Business strategy transformed by blogs” very interesting. For several weeks we have been talking about blogging in the corporate world and how important it is. I have to admit that before this class I didn’t know much about blogs, but as of late I have come to believe that blogs are great for companies. I still think blogs are going to revolutionize the future of businesses. They make customer service better, communication open and help customers understand products.
However, there is a side of blogging that I hadn’t considered until I read the blog by Todd Labrum. There is a quote that says "companies have to learn to track what blogs are talking about, pinpoint influential bloggers, and figure out how to buttonhole them, privately and publicly." It was as if a light bulb went off in my brain. Yes, blogs can be a great tool. That is already proven, however, now I understand that they can also be a hindrance to companies. It is a way for competitors, and essentially anyone who has an aversion to a company to post thousands of negative comments and lies to hurt the growth of a company. Yes, I still believe that blogs are more than a fad, but I also believe that for some companies blogs can end up hurting their image if they are not careful and protective of their blog. Todd’s blog definitely gave me great advice on protecting professional blogs.