In the new world of communication, blogging is another way to offer information. Some corporations are now entering this arena. But what is their motive and how can blogging benefit them? Blogging sites can open up a series of new opportunities for corporations that ordinary websites can’t provide. It can give them a forum to connect on an individual level and encourage feedback from their audience.
The Whole Story, the official Whole Foods Market blog, is intended for an environmentally conscious audience who are interested in healthful, organic foods and lifestyles. The goal of their blog is to educate and inform and promote new products. The site encourages comments and receives many positive posts and responses from the company. Many of the comments are only a few lines and involve cooking, recipes and community outreach. They provide their email as well, for readers that prefer not to make comments on their blog.
The design of the Whole Foods blog starts out with a catchy name “The Whole Story” which implies there is more to know and this is where to get it. It is visually appealing and well organized. It provides an enormous amount of current information on a wide variety of subjects including health and wellness, cooking and recipes, and environmental issues. They also provide tags to find information on specific topics easier. It also offers podcasts and videos on many of these topics. The site presents great photos of delicious looking food. It also offers a “Green Action” category that provides links and information to help promote ecological awareness. Whole Foods makes it easy for you to get updated information through subscriptions to their blog.
The corporate image that is presented to me through this blog is that of a company who cares. It conveys that the corporation cares about the health of its consumers, the environment, and the global world.
The North Face Community is The North Face’s corporate blog. This blog is intended for outdoor adventure seekers. However, the goal of this blog is hard to distinguish. It is not updated regularly and the posts are mainly journal entries about traveling and climbing. The site allows comments but there are very few with only a couple of words each. There is not an email provided for readers that prefer not to make comments on their blog. Visually the site is appealing with scenic views and simple text. It offers short videos (some contain profanity) on climbing expeditions but does not give advice or education on the sport. The site also had a few broken links, though the broken link message was clever. They do not offer tags to find information more easily. The North Face Community does provide trackback links.
The corporate image based on this blog portrays a lack of purpose and focus. Overall, the development of their blog is clearly not a priority for the company at this point.
Works cited- Corporate Blogging:Is it Worth the Hype? posted by Backbone Media
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