To my knowledge, the SMPS Georgia chapter is the only SMPS chapter with an active blog. If you know of others, let me know by emailing me at buckshon@cnrgp.com. Today, Sarah Mackley, the SMPS Georgia Chapter's Director of Communications, phoned me to discuss the SMPS Georgia blog -- a not insignificant initiative because, as far as I can tell, it is the only actively maintained SMPS chapter blog.
Mackley, who is employed at Innovative Solutions Group, Ltd. (ISG) in Atlanta, says the blog is intended to be a supplementary information source for chapter members. The latest posting, for example, is RSS Feeds: What Are They & How Can They Benefit Me?. To her, the blog is not a place for personal expression with the blogger's viewpoint dominating, a rational thing since obviously if the blog is an official chapter blog, it must be non-partisan and operate within the chapter's mandate.
The challenge, of course, is to make the writing interesting and appealing. When you pull the emotion and individual stories out of the blog, it becomes a relatively dry 'reference source' -- something you look at when you need some information, but not for the simple pleasure of reading it. Sarah says Bruce Van Vreede, at GreenbergFarrow, will be the blog administrator.
One way the SMPS Chapter blog could become exciting is if chapter members had their own blogs and the Chapter blog facilitated link-backs to these member blogs. As well, presumably she and Van Vreede could post relevant excerpts from the member blogs without causing offence.
This may be easier to say than to do, I realize. Not everyone has the right or authority to speak on behalf of their company in a blog; and publishing a personal blog on topics that might be sensitive to your employer could be risky. (Not at my business, of course. I encourage employees who wish to blog to do so, just using some common sense in what they say and do. But I've deliberately set an unusually free and independent management style around here and I realize not everyone has the same freedom.)
As an example of an excellent individual members' blog, check out Tim Klabunde's CofeBuz. Tim is a member of the Washington, D.C. SMPS Chapter.
Blogging certainly makes sense if you enjoy it enough to maintain the discipline of consistent, interesting posting. As I've reported previously, it has done wonders for my business search engine rankings and visibility, and certainly doesn't hurt its brand.
SMPS members and chapters with viable blogs will of course get a permalink here (no reciprocation required, but it is always welcome). I'm hoping soon to be able to create a permalink section specially dedicated to SMPS member firms and chapters.
Mackley, who is employed at Innovative Solutions Group, Ltd. (ISG) in Atlanta, says the blog is intended to be a supplementary information source for chapter members. The latest posting, for example, is RSS Feeds: What Are They & How Can They Benefit Me?. To her, the blog is not a place for personal expression with the blogger's viewpoint dominating, a rational thing since obviously if the blog is an official chapter blog, it must be non-partisan and operate within the chapter's mandate.
The challenge, of course, is to make the writing interesting and appealing. When you pull the emotion and individual stories out of the blog, it becomes a relatively dry 'reference source' -- something you look at when you need some information, but not for the simple pleasure of reading it. Sarah says Bruce Van Vreede, at GreenbergFarrow, will be the blog administrator.
One way the SMPS Chapter blog could become exciting is if chapter members had their own blogs and the Chapter blog facilitated link-backs to these member blogs. As well, presumably she and Van Vreede could post relevant excerpts from the member blogs without causing offence.
This may be easier to say than to do, I realize. Not everyone has the right or authority to speak on behalf of their company in a blog; and publishing a personal blog on topics that might be sensitive to your employer could be risky. (Not at my business, of course. I encourage employees who wish to blog to do so, just using some common sense in what they say and do. But I've deliberately set an unusually free and independent management style around here and I realize not everyone has the same freedom.)
As an example of an excellent individual members' blog, check out Tim Klabunde's CofeBuz. Tim is a member of the Washington, D.C. SMPS Chapter.
Blogging certainly makes sense if you enjoy it enough to maintain the discipline of consistent, interesting posting. As I've reported previously, it has done wonders for my business search engine rankings and visibility, and certainly doesn't hurt its brand.
SMPS members and chapters with viable blogs will of course get a permalink here (no reciprocation required, but it is always welcome). I'm hoping soon to be able to create a permalink section specially dedicated to SMPS member firms and chapters.
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