While I was looking up some extra information for the presentation I need to do at the Social Media Forum I came across an older link that was on my blog’s ‘scrapbook’ for a while but that I hadn’t used so far.
The post that Valeria Maltoni wrote for the Blog Herald was called “3 reasons why blogging is open source marketing” and the title immediately caught my attention. Valeria might not have been the first to use the expression ‘blogging is open source marketing’ but it was the first time I read it and I liked it, it sort of captures quite well the concept I think.
Here are the 3 reasons (and I’m sure there are more), read the full article to get the details:
- Blogging as News Broadcasting — Your Feed, Live all the Time
- Blogging as Self Publishing -– Your Expertise for Finding (and Sale)
- Blogging as Relationship Builders – Talk is not Cheap, the Tools are
Anyway I ended up using it for my presentation as well. Thanks Valeria!
'Cross The Breeze 
But what about commenting? Is it as valuable as posting?
Commenting as self publishing?
Commenting as relationship building?
…
The interesting story about that post is that at the same time it published at The Blog Herald I was speaking about open source marketing at blog|Philadelphia. I’m quite sure this expression and associated connotations will pick up in coming years — I tend to talk about things 18 months to 3 years ahead of the adoption curve ;-)
Let me know how your presentation goes. Maybe we can do a follow up on it.
Bart:
I see commenting as part of a blogger publishing activities — you still publish (with related thoughts about your brand, etc.) just on other blogs. Where you build the relationship: on your blog by engaging in the conversation that ensues in the comments; on other blogs by addressing what the blogger is saying directly (there has been talk about folks commenting to highlight *their* stuff vs. joining the conversation hosted at that specific blog).
@Bart: I think commenting is a crucial part in all of this. It allows me to participate in a conversation you (and others) started and the other way around – whenever either of us wants to. I believe a lot in the potential of commenting and that’s what I explain internally as well – blogging is not the first step in participation in social media.