(Our guest blogger today is Richard Brewer-Hay, “chief blogger” at eBay, who pens the eBay Ink blog)
On April 2, 2008, at 11:17am, eBay’s official corporate blog – eBay Ink – was “turned on.” In the 3.5+ years since that day, I’ve been the primary contributor of 1,135 blog posts reflecting news and trends related to eBay Inc. Even though a lot has happened since then, I remember that morning very well. I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I woke up around 4:30 that morning. Was I really about to launch the corporate blog for eBay Inc.? What was I thinking putting my face up there? What if I run out of things to say?
I’m sure there were questions here at eBay too… very similar to the ones we saw on the blog as we opened it up to the world. In a nutshell – who is this guy writing on behalf of the company? Do I really care what he has to say? How unbiased can a company stooge really be?
Richard Brewer-Hay
I sat down with my wife the night before we launched the blog and had the same conversation with her that I’d had many times in the 3 months leading up to the launch (even though we launched eBay Ink on April 2, I actually joined the company at the end of 2007). It went something like this:
Me: This could last just a couple of months, you realize that?
Allie: I know. But it could also last a long time. You could be talking years instead of months.
Me: “Corporate blogger” sounds so forced and ugly.
Allie: Just be yourself. Pretend you’re bartending again and just listen and tell stories.
And that pretty much nails what eBay Ink is all about. There are 200 or so people involved in the creation of any given pint of beer – from the farmers to the water company to the distributors, etc. – but the only human interaction you have with that pint when you go into a pub is the bartender who serves it to you. You create a relationship with that bartender (and, while I’m on the analogy, the English pub or neighborhood bar is essentially your first social network right? The place where workers, farmers, butchers, etc. all came together to share stories over a pint).
Blogging is bartending. There may be a dozen or so people out there online that all have the same story or news to tell… but you choose to have that conversation with blogger A over blogger B.
So, with that said, here are my 7 traits of successful blogging / bartending.
Cheers!
RBH
Related links:
I thank you humbly for sharing your widsom JJWY