Blogging Archives - Page 11 of 13

14Oct 2005 by Bob Cargill

Two DM Trade Publications Launch New Blogs

It was inevitable that both DIRECT and DM News would eventually establish a presence in the blogosphere, but what’s the chance of two of my favorite trade publications launching their own respective blogs just days apart? As a dyed-in-the-wool direct marketer who just so happens to write a blog, I can’t help but be beside myself. Yes, as if it wasn’t exciting enough to see that DIRECT was finally blogging on Wednesday, I almost fell off my chair when less than 24 hours later DM News announced that its blog was now “open for business.” Of course, the near simultaneous debut of these two blogs is more than just a coincidence. Both promise to provide extensive, live coverage of DMA.05, The Direct Marketing Association’s Conference & Exhibition taking place this…

04Oct 2005 by Bob Cargill

Training Blogs for Runners

Blogging

“Instead of detailing workouts in a private training diary, runners are now logging their workouts on the Web for friends, teammates, and long-distance training partners to read and respond to,” writes Chaddus Bruce in the October 2005 issue of Runner’s World (“Today I Ran Fast – Keeping A Training Blog Can Help You Get Fit And Focused”). This is something I myself experimented with a little of last spring when I blogged a few times about running the Boston Marathon for charity. This is also something I have suggested to my fellow runners and friends at the Greater Framingham Running Club. A blog – as companion to a more traditional Web site – would be the ideal online self-publishing platform for any club for that matter, running-related or not. To…

23Sep 2005 by Bob Cargill

Yvonne DiVita’s Lip-Sticking

Blogging, Direct Marketing, Marketing

If you’ve ever read Yvonne DiVita’s Lip-Sticking, you know what I mean when I say it’s arguably one of the best blogs in the blogosphere. It’s a prolific, practical account of what’s what and who’s who in online marketing to women – and much, much more. Yvonne – as Jane, her alter ego – is able to provide her readers with almost as much humor as business insight and intelligence, and as she herself would say, what’s not to like about that? I was very fortunate – and honored – to have just been interviewed by Yvonne for a series of profiles she posts regularly of online marketing professionals. In this interview, Jane asked me if I thought that blogging could really be as personal as, say, a phone call,…

15Sep 2005 by Bob Cargill

Blogging on Behalf of Women’s Legal Rights

Blogging, Direct Marketing, Fundraising

If you’re interested in monitoring the confirmation hearing of Chief Justice nominee John G. Roberts, you may be interested in monitoring NominationWatch.org. But that’s not the only reason to check out this relatively new blog published by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), a group dedicated to advancing and protecting women’s legal rights. NominationWatch.org is also an excellent example of how a nonprofit organization can use a blog to get the word out about its cause. Take it from Nancy Schwartz, editor and publisher of Getting Attention, a monthly e-newsletter that helps nonprofits succeed through effective communications. She’s just written and posted an insightful case study of NominationWatch.org called "Three Steps to Launching Your Nonprofit Blog." According to Schwartz’s article, “Ranit Schmelzer, NWLC vice president for communications, says that for…

12Sep 2005 by Bob Cargill

A Great Opportunity for Shoestring Direct Marketers

Blogging, Direct Marketing, Fundraising

From the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), I recently learned about Word of Blog, a free service that “enables blog owners to spread ideas and influence throughout the blogosphere, promote causes or services that they believe in, recommend products and organizations they like, and create communities of like-minded blog owners, all through blog word of mouth.” To use this service, all a blogger needs to do is select any ad appearing on the Word of Blog site, then copy and paste the corresponding code into your template – like I did with ads for both The American Red Cross and Feed the Children, just two of the many organizations that are helping victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. On the other hand, if you yourself want to get the…

02Sep 2005 by Bob Cargill

Hurricane Katrina: A Reason to Give, A Reason to Blog

Blogging, Cause-Related Marketing, Fundraising

If you’re looking for a reason to blog, you need look no further than the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, from Louisiana to Florida, where Katrina’s fierce winds and brutal, punishing rain resulted in what could be America’s deadliest natural disaster since the 1906 San Francisco fire and earthquake. As I wrote here back in December, 2004, “a blog makes it possible for the everyday communications professional to distribute newsworthy, thematic content to a large, like-minded audience – without many, if any, layers of approval – almost instantaneously. If timeliness is a critical element of your publishing plan, it’s an irresistible platform.” Today, there’s no valid reason for any organization involved in the business of providing disaster relief not to have a blog in its communications toolbox. A blog can be set…

26Aug 2005 by Bob Cargill

AFP Makes a Splash in the Blogosphere

Blogging, Fundraising

Why simply dip a toe in the water when you can make a big splash? I'm guessing that’s what the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) had in mind when it recently begun publishing not just one, but seven different blogs. In a press release on August 1, the association said it is “experimenting with blogs as a way of keeping members better informed about stories, events and trends in the charitable sector.” The AFP blogs (on such topics as youth and philanthropy, the Southeast Asia tsunami relief efforts, National Philanthropy Day and the 2005 International Conference on Fundraising) can be found here.

20Aug 2005 by Bob Cargill

Blog is Not a Pretty Word

Blogging

While we can safely say that business blogs have not only arrived, they’re here to stay, that doesn’t mean there are still not a number of good reasons why someone might not want – or be able – to establish a presence in the blogosphere. Indeed, even if you’re comfortable expressing yourself so openly to so many – think transparency (which, by the way, should be listed among every organization’s set of values, right up there with integrity, accountability, etc.) – there are still a few impediments to overcome (what I would call The Immutable Three T's) if you want to be a bona fide blogger... The Immutable Three T's of Blogging 1) Time – Most blogs take at least a few hours a week to write and maintain, the…

12Aug 2005 by Bob Cargill

Donald Trump Has a New Blog

Blogging, Direct Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing

The blog has come a long way in just the last year alone, but with Donald Trump now waxing eloquently in the blogosphere, a good argument could be made that this revolutionary self-publishing and marketing platform has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse. Read all about it here in Information Week. Elsewhere…DIRECT magazine reports that DM hiring is on the rise. The NonProfit Times issues its 8th annual Power & Influence Top 50. FundRaising Success magazine weighs in on the state of online fundraising today ("From Buttons to Blogs" by Paul Barbagallo). Bob Bly pits blogs versus white papers in his most recent reader survey. Mike Westfall, on Annual Fund Inc. (August 11, 2005), shares some best practices for e-solicitations to college and university alumni. And finally, for the…