My recently ordained Media Maven boss gave me grief today for not posting to the Future of Media Blog. As further punishment, I got stuck on plane tonight next to two loud, opinionated dorks who turned out to be some sort of consultants that help companies embrace corporate blogging. While obviously smart and possessing a sarcastic sense of humor, I could not wait to get away from these two frumpy, profane guys. The quote that sticks with me as they were arguing the merits of visiting post Samuel Taylor Liberia was, "Dude, it's all about what you can blog."
As I pondered whether the characteristics of a compelling blogger contradict the characteristics of a cool dinner guest, it may me realize how much more marketers need to learn about what makes bloggers tick. Based on personal experience alone and in the spirit of sparking discussion, I'll offer up the following 4 blogger personas:
Cliff The Know it All — a smart guy who retains and wields factoids like bullets, enjoys debate, says whatever enters his mind, likes to show off his intellectual wit. (E.G. www.blogmaverick.com)
Jeff The Journalist — a guy who craves the scoop, loves to be in the know about what is new and innovative, proudly feels like he has his finger on the pulse of something really important. (E.G. www.engadget.com)
Susan The Obsessed Freak — someone who is so passionate about a particular subject that it comes to define who they are, they feel like furthering their particular passion is a noble calling in life. (E.G. www.bloggingbaby.com)
Neil The Lonley Observer — someone who shares personal observations and musings from their daily lives much like a diary. (E.G. www.stumble.com)
We'll look to compile some real data to better flesh out these personas so that our Clients better understand how to engage with these new influencers.
