Everybody's doing it, but you've held back. Frankly, you're afraid you just don't have enough to say to do a company blog. Congratulations! You've taken the first step toward forming a blog that's worth reading. According to Paul Boutin, "Internet 2008 [is] full of wannabe Thought Leaders." But with a little work up front, you can create a quality blog that actually says something. In a recent Valleywag post, Boutin offered his simple and dead-on guidelines for corporate blogging. Among his tips:

• Keep it short. (Big sigh of relief.) "Two short posts beat one long one," Boutin says. Keep a blog to 1-3 paragraphs, 100-300 words. Period. Got more to say? "Make it a second post."
• Stick to the facts. You may think your opinion matters, but, frankly, it pales next to a cold, hard fact. "Posting new facts requires work," Boutin admits, "but it gets more readers."
• Replace talk with media. A link is worth a thousand words. Don't waste time explaining: illustrate what you mean with an image, video or link.
• Follow correct blog style. Always use active voice: "Write like email, not a research paper," Boutin advises. Skip the intro, the body and the ending: "just tell them." Unlike a standard article, "The 'nut' paragraph is the whole post," he says.

The Po!nt: A short, fact-filled blog can add real value to your corporate image. By following a few guidelines based on successful blogs, you can help make your company a welcome presence in the lives of customers and prospects.

Source: Valleywag. Read the full post here.

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