David has an interesting, multi-post series going over at his blog about his experiences blogging. These are part of an ongoing case study that I hope will become an argument for why all product teams should blog.
It’s unlikely that there will ever be an end to this collection, unless he shutters the blog, so rather than wait, I figured I’d point the posts out and encourage a little peer participation. So, bounce over and check out Why Product Development Should Blog – Part 1 and Part 2.
Update: David just posted Part 3 in his opus.
Since the inception of the ‘Lab, we’ve spent a lot of time preaching New Web, and the hardest part is always showing concrete value. I can talk about the uses for social bookmarking, social networking, RSS, wikis, collaboration, whatever until I’m blue in the face, but it won’t mean squat if my audience doesn’t give them a try. Mandating usage sometimes works, but it’s always nice to have an example to entice people.
That’s the first step, but even after that, which is tough enough, the tools needs to show value. This is where the case study is gold because it provides tried and (somewhat) true ways to get similar results, a formula if you will. We all know attention is highly subjective, but it’s reasonable to assume that a case study based on David’s blog could be a primer for other teams.
I’m curious to see how David’s blogging adventure goes. His experiences along with other product teams we’ve pushed into the blogosphere (Armchair Architect, Human Strategies, Oracle Financials Strategy, Project Directions, TalentedApps) should make for a nice case study. I hope it’s a case study for blogging, not one against it.
Do you agree that product teams should blog? Why or why not?
I’m about three months and 40 posts into the blogging adventure. Still a newbie, but the feedback I have received has been very positive and quite a few people in Product development are asking me about it – I have two more potential bloggers I am trying to persuade to take the plunge, one is the person who coordinated out upgrade plans and testing for R12 – hands up who would want to pick his brain?
I’m about three months and 40 posts into the blogging adventure. Still a newbie, but the feedback I have received has been very positive and quite a few people in Product development are asking me about it – I have two more potential bloggers I am trying to persuade to take the plunge, one is the person who coordinated out upgrade plans and testing for R12 – hands up who would want to pick his brain?
Blogging is not my day job – 1:08am and I just posted part 3 in this never ending series.
http://davidhaimes.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/why-product-development-should-blog-part-3/
Blogging is not my day job – 1:08am and I just posted part 3 in this never ending series.
http://davidhaimes.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/why-product-development-should-blog-part-3/
@David: Kudos for staying engaged despite the additional drain on your time. I think you’ve been lucky to get people reading and commenting so early in the process. Without readers, blogging crumples in on itself, which is a risk when you set out to blog.
If you blog it, people will come, just not on your schedule. Staying the course and adding a human touch to your blogging helps, so I’m told.
@David: Kudos for staying engaged despite the additional drain on your time. I think you’ve been lucky to get people reading and commenting so early in the process. Without readers, blogging crumples in on itself, which is a risk when you set out to blog.
If you blog it, people will come, just not on your schedule. Staying the course and adding a human touch to your blogging helps, so I’m told.
Obviously we are sold on the value of development blogging in Talent. As for finding time, I think I might have personally crossed a line when I was organizing my thoughts for my next blog entry at 3am on Friday morning. Not only was the time just silly, I was only awake because I was burning up with a fever and knew I had to take some tylenol to be up at 5:30am for my youngest to have surgery the next day.
Thanks again Jake for bringing us all on this journey.
Obviously we are sold on the value of development blogging in Talent. As for finding time, I think I might have personally crossed a line when I was organizing my thoughts for my next blog entry at 3am on Friday morning. Not only was the time just silly, I was only awake because I was burning up with a fever and knew I had to take some tylenol to be up at 5:30am for my youngest to have surgery the next day.
Thanks again Jake for bringing us all on this journey.
@Meg: You know you love it. That Meg Bear brand is like a juggernaut, getting stronger with every post.
@Meg: You know you love it. That Meg Bear brand is like a juggernaut, getting stronger with every post.
Indeed! Meg’s posts draw a lot of traffic to TalentedApps, so I am glad she’s on the staff. I’m trying to follow your advice in the future Jake, and add more of a human touch to my posts. Thanks for the encouragement.
Indeed! Meg’s posts draw a lot of traffic to TalentedApps, so I am glad she’s on the staff. I’m trying to follow your advice in the future Jake, and add more of a human touch to my posts. Thanks for the encouragement.