Time to get naked

I've finally finished reading Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Isreal (see Reads below).

It was a fascinating read and I'd recommend it to anyone who's considering setting up a blog or who just wants to know a little more about the blogging phenomenon. In fact I really wish I'd read it before setting up this blog - there are a number of things I would have done differently.

I've said it before, but blogging is something communicators need to pay close attention to. As Scoble and Isreal point out, we're talking about much, much more than a tool. If you believe them (and I do), blogging is part of a revolution that will transform the way organisations relate to their stakeholders. That revolution is about listening, dialogue, storytelling and conversation - topics that are at the heart of effective communication.

Not every business is ready for it and some never will be, but those that are and who go about it the right way will see real business benefits. The book contains dozens of real life examples of how blogging has helped organisations market their products, research new markets, deal with crises, recruit people and service their customers.

Some innovative UK organisations are already using blogs to improve their internal comms and to connect frontline staff with their leaders, but there aren't many of them. That said, I'm sure we'll see  some superb examples of IC blogging over the next 12 months as it begins to grow in popularity.

Some commentators are going as far as saying that traditional IC techniques are at a dead end. I don't buy that. For me face-to-face will always be the richest form of communication and organisations will continue to need a variety of channels (print, electronic, f2f) to engage different audience segments. But I do agree that participation and involvement is key.

As you'd expect, there's a blog to accompany the book (in fact, the book was partly the product of the blog - Scoble and Isreal posted extracts for bloggers to debate before publication). It's a great place to keep up-to-speed on the big issues in blogging. What's more, it contains links to all the blogs referenced in the book, so you can check what they're now up to (12 months is a very long time in the blogosphere).