The need for wit

I have found one thing that most corporate blogs have in common-- they are boring. It might just be me, but I bet it's not all just me. As we've discussed in class, corporate blogs have a very different purpose than individual blogs. They have to sell you something, and they have to be professional. But blogs, originally, were very informal. Blogging is a promising new medium for advertising and communication, but it won't work if it's not done correctly.

The best blogs have a feeling of spontaneity, personality, and entertainment. They are typically witty, or punchy. Blogs are not very long, but they have to convince you to keep revisiting the site. I plan to really look at the way the companies are writing, and try to figure out why it's not working. Is it just becuase I am not the itnended audience? Or have they not really figured out how to "talk like people" yet? I think it's perfectly possible to talk about the boring day-to-day of your organization and still make it readable. A blog is suppsoed to be something that a reader can easily connect to, and many companies are just using it to post press releases and segments of an annual report. I don't think a blog does much good if you read it and then just close the browser. A blog should keep you engaged and encourage you to keep clicking on other stuff, so better blogs will have links, etc, and will make the company's business seem user-friendly and accessible. (Discusing the setup of the page will go in another section, but you are less likely to do this if you don't feel like the company is talking to you, but is rather just posting neutral information.)