Befriending Bad Blogs

In Befriending Bad Bogs, Krol says it’s possible to turn critics into advocates. It’s true. When a blogger or a reader who comments write a negative comment about a company or its products — that company should respond as soon as possible even if it’s to simple say, “Thank you for your honest feedback. I’m looking into the problem and will get back to you as soon as I find answers or have an update.”

Bloggers and blog readers want to be heard. A company that listens and follows up engages them and shows it’s listening. The Dell / Jeff Jarvis story in the article is a model example of this. Jarvis slammed Dell and then posted a positive comment later on after Dell responded.

Bloggers don’t have to check with your company or anyone — they just post what they hear, see, feel, experience. Even if your company doesn’t have a blog, listen to the blogosphere and respond. Sites like Technorati and PubSub help you find those conversations.

There are excellent books about business blogging available — here are two I recommend:

• The Corporate Blogging Book

• Blogging for Business