in this issue Are You Blogging Yet? Book Report You can quote me on that. . . . To RFP or not to RFP Happy New Year!

-aj-

Are You Blogging Yet?

If you don't even know what a "blog" (or Weblog) is, that's a problem, since it is one of the most significant online trends. There are hundreds of thousands of these "online journals," most of them maintained by individuals. They could be likened to an online personal diary in that many contain a regular series of postings from an individual about a topic, their life, or day-to- day events that impact them. A Weblog might contain short notes with links to other sites that contain relevant news or information, often with a bit of commentary.

Blogs are getting a lot of attention in the mainstream press. It would be a mistake to dismiss the blogging phenomenon, because I think we are witnessing the emergence of a significant new customer relationship tool.

As an example, Macromedia, the developer of Flash, Shockwave, Dreamweaver and other digital creative tools, established several Weblogs pertaining to its products. Staff members maintain a blog that features a running commentary with news, tips on bug fixes, hints, links to sites that have been built using the product, customer feedback and so on. Some Weblogs are official; others clearly "personal." Either way, blogging is at the core of Macromedia's customer marketing strategy.

In essence, all of them offer a mix of information aimed at someone rather important--the customer. And the experience of Macromedia points clearly into the future: Customers like these blogs!

I believe that Macromedia's efforts are likely just the tip of the iceberg. It likely won't be too long before we see official blogs that features ongoing commentary, news and updates from an "evangelist" within many corporate organizations. The effort will emerge as a powerful means by which companies can further cement their relationships with their customers. Got a new product coming out? Report it directly to your customers through your blog. Someone making a community impact? Write it into the blog. A new ad released? Link it in the blog, and viewers will follow.

Companies also need to realize that beyond their own corporate-sponsored blogs, they'll find that customers are using blogs to report on their products. This can have an impact on product positioning and perspectives. Take a look at BoingBoing.net, "A Directory of Wonderful Things" and Gizmodo.com, the gadget Weblog, both of which report on new products. Being a gadget freak, I watch the latter on a regular basis, while I find the former fascinating for its coverage of a wide range of topics. Will the information I find here influence me as a consumer? Definitely.

The bottom-line question is: Does the entire phenomenon of blogging have a consumer impact? What should marketers do? First and foremost, watch for signals in the corporate sector as to the emergence of Weblogging as a potent business tool. I think that within a year, this buzzword will have moved into the mainstream. Get it onto your own strategic radar. Second, begin to play around with Weblogs now. Get familiar with the tools and the software. Immerse yourself in the Weblog community in order to understand what is happening, and to get the technology and the culture.

You may not know why or how yet, but you better be getting ready.

Our Blog...Project, Process & Business Improvement

	Book Report
Blogging by Biz Stone A great overview of the blogging phenomenon and a primer for what you need to get one going. The book is an easy read and should get you up and running before you're done. It parlays the excitement into practical steps. It does concentrate on the Blogger family of software, but does mention some of the other options, plus quick overviews on HTML and CSS. Get learning on blogs. With this book and the web on your screen, you'll find ideas on on how to integrate this phenomenon into your marketing strategy. Get it at Amazon »

	You can quote me on that. . . .
"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." --Peter Drucker "Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out" --James Bryant Conant "It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference." --Tom Brokaw "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes." --Oscar Wilde

	To RFP or not to RFP
When your company is looking to choose a solution to implement and it is a strategic choice important to the future of your organization, finding the right vendor in a sea of offerings is not an easy task. And ensuring that it is right makes it doubly hard! One way you can narrow down that selection process is by using a request for proposal (RFP). But RFPs aren't for the faint of heart. It's an extensive process that takes time and money. An RFP is a very formal process and it generates a certain amount of work on both sides of the equation. First, you have to undertake business requirements analysis to determine the type of features you need to consider to solve your particular problem, then prepare an RFP that will provide comparable results, and finally conduct due diligence. The key to a successful RFP lies in your ability to understand what you want. It should not be a fishing expedition, and should be based in reality. The success of an RFP also depends on your ability to form a broad team from across the business involving people from your organization that have a good knowledge of the problem, and some people that have responsibility for procurement and finance. Also you should decide early if you want to retain the services of a third-party consulting firm (read: Value Management Partners) to help run the RFP and develop the evaluation process. All in all, the RFP process is not one that is to be taken lightly - it is certainly not a walk in the park. I've been on both the sending and receiving end of this, so I know! If you need some help, give me a call.

	Happy New Year!
As stated in the introduction, it's time to clean up spam. In the next several days you will be receiving a notice asking you to confirm your subscription to The Value Manager. Why is this happening? You've been receiving my newsletter as a subscriber who has opted in, but who has NOT YET CONFIRMED your subscription. Due to new email legislation that came into effect on New Year's Day, I am requiring that all my subscribers CONFIRM their subscription. By doing this, you are confirming that you wish to receive our newsletter and related announcements. If you do not confirm your subscription you will receive no further mailings from me. Personally, I hope you will stay with us as I'll be really sorry to see you go. And you'll miss out on some very interesting subjects on value managing, IT strategy, change management and a few antic surprises. So make sure to let us know you care. See you soon. Happy New Year and Happy Opportunity Hunting! -aj- »

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