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Fortune 500 Blog Research: Will You Help Us?

We've just added a Social Media column to the chart on the front page at the Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki at Socialtext.

Will you please help us add to the chart?

I have a dream that dozens of us business bloggers will come together to make light work of researching all Fortune 500 companies and compiling an accurate, up-to-date picture of what they are doing with blogs and other "social media" (wikis, file/video/link sharing sites, etc.). By the end of this year.

John, we've got our work cut out for us, haven't we?

I would almost send you chocolate if you helped. That's how much I would appreciate you.

Empire Promos for Promotional Products for Business

Here's a quick sponsored message on behalf of the folks at Empire Promos, which makes hot promotional items that you could use to promote your business through your blog or to promote your business blog itself.

I've attended many kinds of trade shows and conferences in my life, and I've always been impressed by the positive impact that a good promotional product can have on an attendee.

I've also seen many online stores tied to company blogs. The best ones, if they offer promotional products, make sure that the products are worth buying (good quality) and strengthen the corporate brand. A blog is a great way to announce new promotional items or updates to the online store.

So whether you're interested in setting up a store to go with your corporate blog or just want to send somebody corporate gifts or other businessy items, check out Empire Promos. You might like what you find.

Next up, an update on my Fortune 500 blog research.

Sponsored Review 

How to Unlame Your Business Blog: 10 New Tricks for Old Dogs

Let me ask you three questions.

1. How interesting is your business blog?

2. What's the noise level of your blog?

3. How do you unlame a business blog?

Metaphorically speaking, how do you get a two-legged lame old dog to get up and bound out the door, barking up a storm through the whole neighborhood?

Hang on, let me fetch my soapbox and megaphone.

Ahem.

Here are 10 new tricks for old dogs - er, blogs - to finally grow a pair of legs and become totally unlame.

1. Sit. Pay attention to what your customers are saying. Get some ego feeds. Listen.

2. Bow. Treat everyone as a customer and every customer as a dignitary.

3. Beg. Ask for things. Don't be afraid. Ask your customers questions. Ask them to subscribe. Ask them to buy stuff.

4. Dig. Research things and publish the results. Find the bone in the backyard and bring it home, head held high. Make people want to learn from you.

5. Growl. Get guttural. Put some chomp in your bite. Defend your stance on volatile issues. Don't back down.

6. Roll over. So you screwed up before. So own it and learn from it. Start over. Roll over.

7. Shake hands. Be friendly. A dog is a person's best ... exactly. Welcome visitors (but no sniffing, please). Linger. Let people enter your blog as guests and leave as friends.

8. Wag your tail. Talk about stuff that excites you. Let your audience share your joys.

9. Fetch slippers. Pamper your blog visitor. Offer a free product or service. Thank and praise and encourage commenters and backlinkers and Diggers and Stumblers and Deliciousers.

10. Dance. Do something unique, fun, memorable. Make people laugh. Get stuck in their head so tight their kids hear all about you at the dinner table.

... and one more:

11.  Learn names. A great dog knows its masters by name and treats them as - gasp - inidividuals, even though they all form one pack. Find your pack. Find out who else is blogging in your niche and get to know them personally. Spend time in each other's doghouse.

All right - what have you learned? (These are so simple - but you know what they say about old dogs ...)

Please, please unlame your business dog blog. The world needs your bark. It needs your bite. It needs your loyalty, fleas and all.

As you sit, bow, beg, dig, growl, roll over, shake hands, wag your tail, fetch slippers, dance and learn names, you will unlame your blog and someday become a top dog.

So, how do you plan to unlame your business or professional blog?

Photo: BBC

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