A candid discussion about what it takes to be the most relevant and engaging corporate blogs in business. Are corporate blogs relevant? Will the future see more corporations enter the blogosphere, or less? What fears and misconceptions do companies have about blogging and are these fears justified? The panel will discuss ways that a blog can augment a corporation’s marketing efforts and improve customer service, while also addressing issues that companies must face before they decide to start blogging, as well as issues that could arise later. What tool(s), if any, will replace blogging? What impact do blogs and other social media have on corporations? How can companies engage bloggers when they leave their blogs, and should they? The panel will also investigate ways that corporations can accurately track and measure their blogging efforts, going beyond just tracking hits and visitors, to developing criteria to measure the true Return on Investment (ROI) for blogging. Overall, this session will provide a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to “feed the machine,” manage (internal and external) expectations, plan for growth, and how to use a corporate blog as a tool to better communicate with and understand customers.

Moderator: Mack Collier , The Viral Garden