thinks

Michael Arrington just started an excellent discussion, wrapped in a really silly question. He wants to know if blogs that don’t allow comments actually meet the definition of blogs. Um… do we care what we call them? It doesn’t matter whether it’s called a blog, a journal, a forum, or what-have-you. The key question here really is whether companies are committed to engaging in dialogue with their customers (which, to be fair, is Arrington’s point). According to one comment, arguing (ironically enough) against the need for comments, “…you can still respond on your own blog.” Sure. But why would you want to, how does that resemble a dialogue, and how do both you and the company benefit from that arrangement? Customers have always been able to commiserate with their friends and neighbors about companies they didn’t like. How did those companies have a way to engage in the discussion? What the web in general, and Web 2.0 specifically, has done so well is provide a voice to consumers that enables collaboration between companies and their customers. Both benefit from the opportunity to talk directly to one another.

Historically, customers voted with their feet and bought from someone else when dissatisfied with the products and services they received from a given company. However, that resulted in companies left scratching their heads, unsure what happened to lose that customer. Today that reality doesn’t need to exist. Call it what you will. Companies who plan to succeed in the long run must recognize the fact that customers now want to participate in a dialogue, and provide the opportunity for that to happen.

Related posts:

1. How to succeed at selling inside social networks (Guide to Small Business Ecommerce Strategy)
2. 10 ways for businesses to participate in social networks… and why they should
3. What happens to your brand when your corporate bloggers leave your company?
4. Four tips to help small businesses determine the right amount to spend on their website…

This entry was posted on Monday, January 1st, 2007 at 9:40 pm and is filed under Web 2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.