Announcing SCOUT our new Corporate Blogging Service
I've hinted about this in some previous posts but now it's official. See the press release. Backbone is starting a new corporate blogging service called SCOUT. You can read all about it on our new website www.scoutblogging.com. We've also developed a the SCOUT Flash Demo, which is a neat little overview of the service. I'd love to hear any comments or questions about the service. I'm particularly interested in hearing feedback about the service from real bloggers, SEO and PR Communications professionals.
If you're going to critique, here are a few FAQs
Is this a service or a product (software)?
Scout is a service, although we do provide some technology to make sure we deliver the service efficiently.
Do you use your own custom software?
No, we use off the shelf packages. Moveable Type and Wordpress are our favorites right now but we can also use Expression Engine and more.
Why Moveable Type or Wordpress? I prefer Typepad/Blogger/etc?
From a search engine optimizatoin and long term marketing perspective, we believe the blog content should be published and associated with your primary domain, not at yoursite.hostedblogsystem.com. Moveable type and Wordpress enable this to work reliably. Also, these systems are commercially supported and have a large network of resellers, so there’s lots of support we can rely upon.
Is this a ghostwriting service?
No, Scout is not ghostwriting. We provide guidance and advice, but we don’t write your post for you. It’s your voice, but we give story leads, and help with research on follow up to your ideas.
I already know a lot about blogging, why should I use your service?
It’s a time issue. Do you have the time to keep up with the industry and analyze your section of the blogosphere? By providing extra coverage and insight we leverage what you do best. Writing with research and information keeps you informed and connected.
How am I going to make money off of this?
Blogging helps companies to build their brand online by demonstrating value, brand and thought leadership. By becoming a great blogger, you will become
one of the leaders in your industry. That’s what Scout does for you, lets you become a great blogger.
Many blogs do well with SEO; do you offer plug-ins to optimize posts in any way?
We provide advise that will teach and help the blog writer to optimize their posts over time. The key to blogging is the volume. By following some simple steps our strategy is to get you some higher rankings.
How much time and effort would someone have to put in to maintain a blog?
For five posts a week, I’d say 5-10 hours a week. We help to cut down on the time.
Will I have to write any code?
No code writing is needed.
Why can’t bloggers do the work for themselves?
They can, but it’s a matter of time and managing the process much more efficiently. Scout helps to make you a great blogger.
If you're going to critique, here are a few FAQs
Is this a service or a product (software)?
Scout is a service, although we do provide some technology to make sure we deliver the service efficiently.
Do you use your own custom software?
No, we use off the shelf packages. Moveable Type and Wordpress are our favorites right now but we can also use Expression Engine and more.
Why Moveable Type or Wordpress? I prefer Typepad/Blogger/etc?
From a search engine optimizatoin and long term marketing perspective, we believe the blog content should be published and associated with your primary domain, not at yoursite.hostedblogsystem.com. Moveable type and Wordpress enable this to work reliably. Also, these systems are commercially supported and have a large network of resellers, so there’s lots of support we can rely upon.
Is this a ghostwriting service?
No, Scout is not ghostwriting. We provide guidance and advice, but we don’t write your post for you. It’s your voice, but we give story leads, and help with research on follow up to your ideas.
I already know a lot about blogging, why should I use your service?
It’s a time issue. Do you have the time to keep up with the industry and analyze your section of the blogosphere? By providing extra coverage and insight we leverage what you do best. Writing with research and information keeps you informed and connected.
How am I going to make money off of this?
Blogging helps companies to build their brand online by demonstrating value, brand and thought leadership. By becoming a great blogger, you will become
one of the leaders in your industry. That’s what Scout does for you, lets you become a great blogger.
Many blogs do well with SEO; do you offer plug-ins to optimize posts in any way?
We provide advise that will teach and help the blog writer to optimize their posts over time. The key to blogging is the volume. By following some simple steps our strategy is to get you some higher rankings.
How much time and effort would someone have to put in to maintain a blog?
For five posts a week, I’d say 5-10 hours a week. We help to cut down on the time.
Will I have to write any code?
No code writing is needed.
Why can’t bloggers do the work for themselves?
They can, but it’s a matter of time and managing the process much more efficiently. Scout helps to make you a great blogger.
posted by Stephen Turcotte @ 2/27/2006
4 Comments:
At 3/04/2006 08:37:00 PM ,
Manuel said...
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 3/19/2006 06:20:00 PM ,
Manuel said...
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 3/21/2006 06:17:00 PM ,
Scott Smigler said...
Hi Stephen,
I think your approach is very interesting. One thing we grapple with is how to measure the value of a corporate blog (in terms of ROI).
Some blogs are for traffic. Others, for PR.
Have you grappled with this issue of helping company's measure the ROI for their blogging investment?
At 3/22/2006 09:56:00 AM ,
Stephen Turcotte said...
Hi Scott, Thanks for your comment and the great question. I'm going to answer it in a post over at our new blog http://www.scoutblogging.com/blog.html
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