Want to learn about how to use blogs for buzz? Chances are Anil Dash from SixApart and David Jacobs from Apperceptive can help.
Anil kicked things off with a question, "What can you do with a book?" For the most part people think of books as things you can consume/read. You never think about writing a book, at first. Today with the web there is an entire generation of kids growing up that know they can write, they can take part in the process.
Persistence and awareness are two major things associated with blogs.
Content does not need to be thrown away, persistence can be important, and is increasingly so. Google can find you. Almost half the visits to many blogs are from content that is over a month old. Now think about your e-mail newsletters, can I find the content from last month's e-mail newsletter?
Does the home page matter? So many people are finding content from search results, links from friends.
By putting our names and dates on content, we are creating a social contract. There is a promise of "I will stay in touch." But a promise is more than words, it takes work. It's about relationships, with friends, customers, etc.
It's about making the tools on the web as meaningful as other mediums. It doesn't have to be disposable.
Awareness is another key issue. So much of the e-mail traffic that Anil receives is not relevant at the time he receives it.
The devices you want to use are the one that give you control. Think Tivo or the iPod. Each of these devices gives you control over the experience. RSS is similar, it gives you control. RSS delivers awareness without interruption.
Awareness keeps the lines of communication open without the rudeness. Blogs are about maintaining a relationship with the people you care about. Blogs allow you to scale a conversation beyond the traditional one-on-one you have in person.
Next up, David Jacobs reviewed some examples of how blogs are used in the real world. The first example was Serious Eats. The conversation about food now takes place online. The other thing is the site opens up the conversation to the community. There are experts, but isn't everybody and expert in something? The site features profiles. Users can tell a bit about themselves, web sites, their favorite foods, etc.
How is this different than a forum where the person with the most free time wins? There is control from a post/editorial standpoint.
The user profiles builds a history of the users contribution to the site. It's their reputation. You respect those that contribute to the site. If you have a community like this for your customers it lets you learn who the real influencers are.
Once you begin to host the conversation, it's like having a dinner party at your house. You learn a lot in a civil environment.
