Is it possible to have a successful 'company' blog with the writer anonymous?

Azam.biz · 12-31-2007, 06:18 AM

Firstly, let me say that I am from the 'old media' and was trained and worked as a newspaper and magazine journalist for many years in the 1990s. I was taught that the subject was the important thing and the writer should remain relatively anonymous. As you know, in some newspaper they don't even mention the writer's name.

I have carried that through to my online writing over the years. I have written hundreds of thousands of words on online marketing, but always tried to remain in the background.

When I set up a blog, my plan was to create it in a 'corporate' style, in which I would write in my accustomed journalistic style.

(This was mainly for two practical reasons (a) I wanted the focus of the blog to be my business, rather than myself as an individual. Every client who hires me wants me as an individual to do their Affiliate Management, PR etc. and they are reluctant to work with my staff. Working 100 hour weeks as it is, I simply don't have the time to do more client work myself. So I thought that, by shifting the focus of my business away from myself, it would mean that people were employing our agency do their work rather than myself as an individual and (b) I thought it would be more suited to where our agency has come, as we now have a number of blue chip clients. I thought it may turn away prospective new corporate clients if the blog was too 'chatty' and informal)

However, I've grown to realise that both the blogs I enjoy reading and the ones that my readers have said they found the most engrossing reveal the writers' indentities and give something of themselves. For, example, here is an article from October written in the third person and I didn't receive any positive feedback, whereas this recent one, scripted in a less formal fashion and in the first person, was very popular.

So my questions are:

- is it possible to have an engrossing blog which is written in a formal style (perhaps in the third person)?

- would the blog be seen as corporate and stuffy if it is written as 'Azam Marketing', rather than me as an individual?

- if so, how do I write with a voice, while keeping an emphasis on the whole agency?

Finally, does anybody know any good company blogs, in which the writers are relatively anonymous?

Any advice would be most welcome. I cannot pretend blogging is my expertise and so your input is valued.

Thank you and I wish all the people here on v7 a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

EBORG9 · 01-01-2008, 01:44 PM

I think I know where you are coming from, and i say follow your instincts.
The subject matter is the most important thing...not the author, unless, you name carries implied or known expertise, and experience that will be respected by your readers...then it would be an asset to use it.

I write my blog under a nickname that I got when I was a bartender in Vegas, keeping what I do for a living, separate from my "hobbie". However, when I am dealing with contributers, (Record Labels, Artists, Managers, and other bloggers or websites) I most certainly communicate with them using my legal name.

I think that you can do it both ways..If you would rather remain anonymous, then let the content speak for itself.
I don't see anything wrong with writing from the 3rd person, most company blogs have one person, an intern or low level employee (no offense to anyone) writing them.
It only takes one person to type on the keyboard.

dndoseller · 02-01-2008, 06:20 AM

Most people don't even look at the author and don't care.

Check out my danogo blog if you want. I write them like articles and never personalize them, don't have a picture of myself and never indicate that I write them.

Nobody cares. The articles still get really good traffic every day.