Marketing Pilgrim Published: “Corporate Blogging Insights From C-Suite” plus 2 more

Corporate Blogging Insights From C-Suite
Big News at Marketing Pilgrim!
Would Government Issued Internet ID Hamper Online Commerce?

Corporate Blogging Insights From C-Suite

Posted: 10 Jan 2011 07:44 AM PST

Corporate blogs (and blogging in general) get run through the ringer of "Is it a dead art?" to "It's essential for online success!" and all stops in between. Many fear blogging due to concerns about time, risk / reward, exposure and the list goes on.

eMarketer brings us a corporate some insights from a survey done by Blog2Print(an interesting idea, btw). Here are the reasons why big companies blog according to CMO's.

The most prominent reason might well have been named "If you can't beat'em, join'em". When you say that you are essentially "giving in" to do this then you wonder just how sincere or genuine the effort will be moving forward. I think it is safe to say that if there is passion behind a blog the chances of success through reaching the other goals desired goes up exponentially. But hey, it's not often we confuse Fortune 1000 companies with passionate companies is it?

As for the attributes of what makes a corporate blog a success? Well, they seem to be a little more in tune on this one.

In the end, it is true that part of the cost of doing business today is having a business blog. It's the expectations around the blog that are what need to be examined or even taught to most business people. The 'build it and they will come' approach (referred to here as the Filed of Dreams Method) doesn't fly. The "Let's make this a pure sales vehicle' approach is obvious and unattractive.

What most markters should be concentrating on is the entire ecosystem of the online space that the blog is a part of (Oh brother, did I just type that?). In plain English, it's just a part of the bigger puzzle. It's a way to get links, it's a channel to get some play in the social media world and it's just another way to simply do business.

Is a corporate blog a requirement for success? I would say not. It is a requirement, however, for greater success in the digital business world we all live in today.

Your thoughts?

Big News at Marketing Pilgrim!

Posted: 10 Jan 2011 06:31 AM PST

You may have noticed a trend over the past few months.

While I’ve personally been blogging less and less, Frank Reed and Cynthia Boris have been hitting it out of the park! Case in point, Frank’s excellent interview yesterday with Mike Blumenthal.

So, why have I been slacking?

Honestly, Trackur is growing so fast it’s time to turn my attention 100% on building the world’s best social media monitoring tool. (Yes, the SEO in me couldn’t pass up that anchor text opportunity).

However, Marketing Pilgrim is still my baby! It’s become the leading place for marketers to get the lowdown on the latest internet marketing news. As we’ve always said, “We don’t always break the news, but we do always break it down for you!”

So, to ensure Marketing Pilgrim continues on its epic growth in 2011, I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that Frank Reed will today take over as Managing Editor!

A round of applause for Frank? OK, maybe leave him a comment in this post.

Frank will be tasked with ensuring Marketing Pilgrim continues to offer the best in marketing news commentary, but he’s also got some great ideas up his sleeve.

Cynthia will continue to be his “wing woman,” Joe will kick-butt on Saturdays, David will keep an eye out for interesting developments you may have missed, and me? Well, I’m moving to the role of “Publisher” which will see me more behind the scenes, but you just know I won’t be able to resist adding my 2 cents on a regular basis.

Thank you for your loyal readership. Frank and I are looking forward to an awesome 2011 with you!

Pilgrim’s Partners: SponsoredReviews.com – Bloggers earn cash, Advertisers build buzz!

Would Government Issued Internet ID Hamper Online Commerce?

Posted: 10 Jan 2011 06:01 AM PST

Privacy is a concern for everyone online. How we treat online privacy is always at the center of arguments about how far the Internet can truly go in delivering most everything to consumers. Privacy is looked at differently in different pars of the world. In fact, it's the reason why Facebook can't get a foothold in Japan.

So the recent discussion around a government issued Internet ID is getting some attention and it will certainly be of interest to Internet marketers. The possibility was first reported by Cnet. CBS News followed with

President Obama is putting plans in motion to give the Commerce Department authority to create an Internet ID for all Americans, a White House official told CNET.com.

White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt told the website it is “the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government” to centralize efforts toward creating an “identity ecosystem” for the Internet.

After I got past the cold chill that ran up my spine at the prospect of the government "centralizing" online ID information, I decided to read on before drawing any conclusions. I wish I could say I felt better later.

“We are not talking about a national ID card. We are not talking about a government-controlled system. What we are talking about is enhancing online security and privacy, and reducing and perhaps even eliminating the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through creation and use of more trusted digital identities,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said at an event Friday at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, according to CNET.com.

OK. So who is going to house and be responsible for all of this incredibly valuable information? Um, looks like the government to me which means they would have control. After all, as the saying goes, possession is 9/10 of the law.

The CBSNews article ends with this comment

Schmidt stresses that anonymity will remain on the Internet, saying there’s no chance that “a centralized database will emerge.”

OK, I admit that I am a little slow on the uptake at times. But isn't it inherent in having such system that a database would be needed to manage it? Are we all just going to have to take part in a program that puts everything in one spot under the government's 'control' or is this just a place to park your passwords? Geesh. C'mon man!

From the other side of the coin comes

“The government cannot create that identity infrastructure,” Jim Dempsey of the Center for Democracy and Technology told the website. “If I tried to, I wouldn’t be trusted.”

Well, this is a few months a way from becoming reality (at least that is what is being said today). As Internet marketers though we are going to need to be cognizant of these types of developments moving forward. What if this went the way of "You cannot do any commerce online unless you are in the system"?

No matter how you look at this issue there has to be concerns about the prospect of this actually happening. While the inherent concept regarding privacy makes sense on some level (trying to make the Internet safe) it is not the kind of thing that seems to be able to actually happen without handing over a great deal of control and potential freedom.

There are many avenues that this 'conversation' could take and I am having a hard time wondering which one of them is good. As a marketer, do you have any thoughts on what would the good the bad or the ugly for such a thing as the government's Internet ID?