Steve Rubel, A-list blogger of Micropersuasion.com fame, did a whirlwind social media tour via Skype today, spending a half hour with the Blog Squad. Here are my notes from the conversation:
Denise: Welcome Steve, we are honored to have this opportunity to interview you. We sent out a request to our people to submit their questions to us for you, if that’s alright, we’ll just jump right in?
Steve: I’m honored to be here and to have this opportunity to connect. Fire away.
Denise: This question is from Christine Halvorson at Stonyfield Farm-
Steve: Of course, I know Christine…
Denise: We at Stonyfield Farm are still nearly all alone as far as non-IT companies blogging. Which way is the trend moving--toward or away from corporate blogging?
Steve: The trend is slow, taking longer than hoped, but definitely moving in the direction of corporate blogging. And it’s not just about blogging. Some companies are using podcasting now.
Denise: And this other question comes from Anne:
How can you possibly have a different point of view or subject than everyone else on the web?
Steve: Not sure if this person is asking about me personally, or if the question is rhetorical. To me, everybody is unique and can have a different perspective.
Denise: I tend to see things as being regurgitated and recycled.
Steve: Well, you see both perspectives can be true, and there’s room for many voices.
Patsi: This ties into something I noticed about some of your posts, Steve - you can be oppositional and point out gaps in other blog posts.
Steve: Yes I suppose I do find things that are missing, and I shift around and change opinions too.
Patsi: I mean that as a good thing, it is more interesting to read. Many of our clients who blog are consultants, speakers, authors. How important is it that they get readers to comment? I mean, most of them aren't writing about issues that spark controversy or opposition. It seems to me that they would have to really be edgy to stir people up to get lots of commenting.
Steve: Yes, sometimes people are nervous about commenting, or even putting any personal information up on the web, like their name and email address. To open up comments, ask questions. It’s okay to admit you don’t know something and ask readers to contribute. Popular blogs with tons of comments are usually people who write with passion.
My blog is my lab. I try things out, test concepts. I get feedback.
There are two kinds of blogs, those that aggregate information in a field, and those that have strong opinions and ideas.
Denise: You seem to do both well.
Steve: I try to share things I’ve seen on the web, and put things out for others to try or comment on. The other day I wrote this post called The Middle Ages, expecting to get lots of comments and links, and nobody much noticed it!
Patsi: I did! I posted about it on BizBookNuggets.com, I loved that idea, and to me it established you as a thought leader in my little mind. I hadn’t heard that concept from anyone else and I posted it on it. (The Middle Ages was posted on Feb. 26 on www.Micropersuasion.com … and written about by me the next day at www.bizbooknuggets.com … )
Denise: What do you see as the future of blogging, especially for small businesses?
Steve: Blogs are going to be used increasingly by many businesses, not all, and are going to evolve into something else that we don’t know yet.
There are a lot of galaxies or hubs like MySpace, Flickr, You Tube, and I'd like to see more intergalactic travel, more interaction between these hubs. MySpace is huge. Digg is another source of info about blogs; the other day I found www.stupidvideos.com, there needs to be a gluing together of all these hubs. Of course the way these will eventually be used for marketing is open.
The use of the web is now, and has been over the last two years, a bottom-up creation, and this will have a big impact on how companies market. I see blogs evolving into something else that we don’t know about yet.
Denise: Finally, what is the #1 tips for a beginner blogger?
Steve: Read, read, read. Be a vacuum, and learn everything you can about blogs in your field and how you can contribute to the conversation.
Patsi: After your social media tour today and being interviewed by 13 others, what has been your most challenging question?
Steve: One person was in the health care field asked me if I knew any other health care blogs and I was at a loss. I thought I knew something about most fields and blogs, but I didn’t know this. And I told him so. You can’t know everything. I didn’t know this answer.
Thanks, Steve, for your insights, and especially for lighting the way and showing all of us the possibilities through blogging.
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