The M20: Top Marketer Blogs

C.B. Whittemore, Flooring The Consumer

C.B. Whittemore blogs at Flooring The Consumer, #9 on the October 2007 M20 list.  She is Director of In-Store Innovation for Solutia Inc.’s Wear-Dated carpet fiber division.  Her blog focuses on marketing and the consumer retail experience, especially in flooring.

Here’s more on C.B.:

*How long have you been blogging?
Since June 27, 2006 – to be exact.

*How did you first hear about blogs?
I first became aware of blogs in late 2003/early 2004 while researching marketing to women, the retail experience and word-of-mouth marketing.  Most of the ‘sharing’ of perspectives was done then via newsletter, but blogs were cropping up.  As newsletters converted to blogs, I subscribed to them.  I didn’t immediately realize that these were blogs; I did, though, consider them rich and interesting, relevant and wonderfully fresh because of their frequency.  Andrea Learned’s Learned On Women comes to mind, as do Tom Peters and David Polinchock’s BEL Brand Experience Manifesto. 

I passively monitored the medium as articles appeared more frequently in USA Today and The New York Times.  Then, in mid 2005, MarketingProfs offered a webinar about building word-of-mouth through blogs.  The presenter suggested a Dummies book which I devoured, dog-eared, highlighted and filled with stick-em notes.

I took the blogging plunge after attending an Innovative Marketing Conference sponsored by Corante and Columbia Business School.  Everyone in the room was living innovative marketing; they all blogged.  Through their blogs, they contributed a third dimension to the learning and interaction.

*Why did you decide to start blogging?
I’m fascinated with non-traditional marketing, with marketing that takes smarts rather than big budgets.  That’s why blogs seemed so interesting.  But, I needed to experiment for myself.  I initially saw value with blogging as a self-publication mechanism in support of one of my roles.  So, I focused on those topics - researching marketplace consumer and retail trends – to publish relevant content more frequently than I was able to via the major industry publication.  The blog not only meant keeping the subjects top of mind, but it also created a credible reference point for our field force to go back to at any time.

*What process, if any, did you work through from a corporate perspective?
Given the low investment [my time after hours; free blogging platform, analytics, etc.], I only mentioned Flooring The Consumer once I had figured out the mechanics and published my first post, a trade article about women in the flooring industry.  I promoted that article to one of my customers, who contributed a post, then analyzed a multi-part interview of two well-respected women in the industry [who also contributed posts] – and gotten wonderful reactions [via email or phone, rather than from blog comments] in support of the blog and the topics it addresses.

Two months later, at an internal sales and marketing meeting, I physically took my colleagues through the blog, explaining what it was, how it worked and how to subscribe.  My boss stood up and encouraged everyone in the room to subscribe!  Pretty cool!

As the blog has evolved, my peers have contributed, and our direct sales force [i.e., Wear-Dated Representatives] have helped me share stories about valuable retail practices or outstanding retailers in their regions.  It’s a useful means for promoting great flooring retail experiences.

*What are your most and least favorite aspects of blogging?
Most favorite: the richness of the exchange, the intensity of the learning, meeting like-minded marketers willing and wanting to experiment, who exude passion about their area of focus.  Being able to increase the depth of content via links; creating a means of engaging readers to elevate the flooring category.  Sharing information that I’m fascinated with…

Least favorite: I need more time to keep up with conversations and experiment more.

*What would you change with 20/20 hindsight?
I might have done more listening and commenting on blogs before getting started [i.e., the recommended approach] to jump start the process.  I didn’t.  But, I got going and learned a great deal in the process.  Thanks to many very generous bloggers like Mike Sansone who noticed me early on, welcoming me into the marketing blogger fold, and Susan Abbott and Stephanie Weaver who invited me to participate in the first ever Bathroom Blogfest in October 2006 [coming up again in October 2007], it wound up that none of that mattered.  I’ve tried to make the most out of every unexpected and unusual opportunity that the blogosphere offers [e.g., The Age Of Conversation, Blog Action Day] to participate and learn even more.

*What three blogs have you gained the most insight from in the past month?
- MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog featuring many of my favorite marketing bloggers
- Toby Bloomberg’s Diva Marketing Blog
- David Meerman Scott’s Web Ink Now

*Anything else?
Blogger voices are intense.  They are passionate.  They constantly teach new approaches, tools, solutions, ideas.  It’s an amazing experience!  I encourage everyone to try it in some way.

[If you're a client-side marketer and would like to be profiled - even if you're not in the top 20 - send in your story!  See this post for details.]

Max Kalehoff, AttentionMax

Max Kalehoff blogs at AttentionMax and is #13 on the October 2007 M20 list.  He is currently the VP of Marketing at Nielsen Online and blogs about marketing, media, and life.

Here's more on Max.

* What is your URL and how long have you been blogging?
My blog is AttentionMax, and it's dedicated to my views on marketing, media and the intersection with my personal life. It has a big emphasis on interactive marketing, research and analytics, reflecting my career. It's been around since January 2006.

I've been blogging -- sort of -- since 2004, as I created BuzzMetrics' CEO blog as well as led the strategy for Hitwise's analyst blogging platform, when I was consulting for both of them. I've also been writing oped columns for MediaPost since 2004, and blogs are integrated into the email/Web publishing platform. I also created a video blog called Engagement By Engagement, which is in remission until there's some significant new momentum in advertising engagement. (But it's still the single richest place for industry viewpoints on engagement.)

* How did you first hear about blogs?
I think it was back when I worked at Media Metrix in 2000. Yes, even back then there were a handful of blogs and personal publishing platforms which met reporting standards in the syndicated media reports.

* Why did you decide to start blogging?
I started because I was curious -- plain and simple. That said, there are key reasons why I continue:

• It forces me to organize my thoughts and articulate them, or at least attempt to. Consequently, blogging forces you to be a better thinker and communicator.
• By exposing my thoughts, I tend to get discovered by other relevant people and build relationships with them. I get feedback from people on my ideas. Blogging forces you to understand your audiences and yourself better.
• I'm human and therefore I have a fundamental need for expression. The blog is one outlet for that.
• My blog cultivates my digital identity, including the picture Google paints of me. Many people Google me when they want to get to know me better, and my blogging activities rank very high in search results. My blog is a living resume, my trail of digital breadcrumbs.
• And as corny as this sounds, the blog is a great way to personally assimilate with a Web site, and dramatically sharpen one's interactive marketing skills. I consider myself a perpetual student of interactive marketing and my blog is one of the best ongoing lessons in Web publishing, syndication, design, analytics, experience, archiving, multimedia integration, search optimization, domain management, community management, advertising, etc.

* What process, if any, did you work through from a corporate perspective?
For the record, my blog is independent from my employer, and I'm legally required (as most of us are) to comply with standard corporate electronic communications policies while serving as an employee. I try to avoid blogging directly about my company, unless there is some very material or relevant development consistent with my blog's focus. Instead, I try to cover larger trends and observations that are in alignment with my industry and company.

While independent, I believe my blogging directly benefits my work because it enables me to have a more compelling voice in my industry; it's a platform for ideas and it empowers two-way communications with key stakeholders. In fact, I receive a lot of press interviews, speaking requests and sales inquiries through my blog. Importantly, I redirect a lot of my thinking and writing directly to workplace scenarios, whether it be tactical analysis or thought-leadership.

Finally, I emphasize that AttentionMax is my personal blog. It's a reflection of me, the person, the consumer, the husband, the new dad, the average suburban guy struggling to make sense of consumerism's marketing assault on my psyche. I'm not some faceless talking head, and I think that appeals to people. I was born with a certain level of honest sarcasm which I can't pretend to withhold, and some people love that while others can't stand it.

* What are your most and least favorite aspects of blogging?
My favorite aspect of blogging is the process of organizing my thoughts and presenting them. I also like experimenting from a Web publishing standpoint, including the technical aspects of interactive which I mentioned above. I also like getting feedback, whether through comments or directly via email, or in person. Blogging tends to introduce you to people who you otherwise never would've met, so that's pretty cool.

My least favorite aspects are when other bloggers are rude to you; some forget there's a real person on the other end. And as much as I like the technical aspect of blogging, technical meltdowns can get frustrating. Fortunately, I have supportive friends to help me there.

* What would you change with 20/20 hindsight?
I would've adopted the Wordpress platform from day one (versus Moveable Type), and I would've started AttentionMax two years earlier than I did.

* What three blogs have you gained the most insight from in the past month?

1. I really enjoy Scott Karp's Publishing 2.0. He just has some incredibly sharp analysis on the future of media, and, because of his independence, is never afraid to address the elephant in the room. It is through our blogs that Scott and I actually became friends. Publishing2 is required daily reading for me.
2. Next on my list is Fred Wilson's A VC. Aside from having a great run as a Web 2.0 venture capitalist, and having invested in a few of my employers over the years, his insights are invaluable. I'll often find myself in various analytical problem-solving situations and ask myself: "What would Fred say?" His spirit guides me.
3. And for as much as I can disagree with him, I highly value Jeff Jarvis's BuzzMachine. The guy can write, and he has an incredible ability to hone his point of view. Even if I think his arguments are overly ideological, he gets me thinking.

You only asked for three, but I also pay attention to my colleague Pete Blackshaw. I also pay attention to you. For anyone interested in which blogs I direct my attention, see my blogroll on AttentionMax. I recently cut my blog blog feeds from about 250 to 70. I'm finding I get more value out of paying attention to fewer versus more.

* Anything else?
Another thing that I think is kind of eerie, but also kind of cool, is that my blog will be around longer than me. Blogs are major manifestations of our identity, and the prospect of them living on far after our time on earth is an interesting one. With so many millions blogging, imagine the rich personal accounts that future generations will have when researching and interpreting history.

I also am curious about the splintering nature of electronic expression. Sure, I nurture my blog, but I'm also active on a host of other digital communication platforms, like Twitter and Facebook. I suppose the individuality of my blog will keep me going indefinitely. I've never been so loyal to any other social-media platform, other than my AIM account.

Finally, I consider myself a perpetual novice, constantly in experimentation mode. So any constructive feedback from anyone is welcomed.


[If you're a client-side marketer and would like to be profiled - even if you're not in the top 20 - send in your story!  See this post for details.]

Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent

Valeria Maltoni is social media's Conversation Agent and #4 on the October 2007 M20 list.  She is currently the Director of Marketing Communications at SunGard Availability Services and blogs about "how talk can change our lives."

Here's more on Valeria.

*How long have you been blogging?
Since September 2006 -- yes, it's been over one year now. I think in blog experience it's already a long time and maybe I was sort of blogging before. For 7+ years I moderated an online listserv for the business group of Fast Company magazine readers.

* How did you first hear about blogs?
Because of my strong association with Fast Company, I've been reading Tom Peters' and Seth Godin's blogs since their inception. I followed outbound links from there and here I am today, reading about 100+ blogs on a regular basis and connecting with a larger number weekly.

* Why did you decide to start blogging?
As a result of developing a network (above) to 500+ professionals and running almost 100 events in the last 7 years, I accumulated a lot of knowledge and learning from experience I was eager to test in other media. And I've always enjoyed writing as a way to communicate with others -- the conversation is a space I've inhabited ever since I can remember.

* What process, if any, did you work through from a corporate perspective?
I started when I was still working in a more conservative industry and in a company that did not make use of online marketing at all with the exception of banner ads (you may call them traditional today) on the web versions of trade publications. It did not make sense to speak about my blog at work and my intention was always to keep it separate. When I transitioned to my current company in the IT infrastructure and services business and throughout the interview process with other companies, I listed my blog URL on my resume. In fact, I can say it has been a strategic component of my career growth.

When my boss made the internal announcement, he insisted on listing my experience as blogger and community recognitions, including the M20 in it. Many of my colleagues read what I write there. We have a corporate policy on blogging, which I had the chance to review recently in case I wanted to comment (part of my responsibilities cover internal communications), and I adhere to it.

Recently I wrote a story about Dell, which in some areas may compete with us, I disclosed my affiliation with the folks at Dell and my working on the story at my company -- transparency and respect play a large role in how this works.

* What are your most and least favorite aspects of blogging?
Writing for publication has introduced a whole new level of discipline to my thinking in an organized and organic fashion and gives me the ability to listen to feedback and learn all at the same time. I know of no other medium that would provide all of this with absolute freedom and personal accountability wrapped around it. Do you?

The least favorite aspect is that with some sort of fame, you may also have envy and the occasional person who tries to ride on your coattails for traffic and popularity.

* What would you change with 20/20 hindsight?
I would have figured out how to map my domain name to the TypePad URL completely sooner. I spent the good part of 8 and a half months with split links and online identities. Funny, I was reading what Todd Watson wrote in response to this question and got distracted for a moment -- on some level my company competes with IBM; I on the other hand, consider bloggers first for the shared experience of publishing in this medium, then for what they do at work.

I could say I should have started sooner, I was probably ready for a long time -- I used to talk back to the TV. Conversation is who I am about, it's in my DNA, and this medium is the best to afford the proper balance of content, discussion, and connections among things and people.

* What three blogs have you gained the most insight from in the past month?
This is really hard, I read a lot of them. If I had to pick, I would pick on the basis of how they have helped me gain focus on my new responsibilities at work -- Brand Autopsy by John Moore who also happens to be an incredibly nice person with a great sense of humor, Servant of Chaos by Gavin Heaton who in  many ways thinks the way I do and has a strong poetic vein, Logic+Emotion by David Armano because his visuals are true designs of conversation and have inspired more than one of my work plans so far.

* Anything else?
Yes, I would encourage all the marketers on the corporate side to think of what their organizations put out as we would rate a blog post -- would it be worth commenting on? That's how I think our communications need to change -- more story, more compelling on the benefit scale, less dinosaur speak that puts your stuff in a sea of sameness and more of the language and tone that can inspire a comment, an action, a connection.

I know it is not always possible to control all the pieces and get everywhere, I've worked my whole career in corporate America. We can inform, teach and inspire by example though. It's worth trying. Having said all that, I am working in that direction at my company. Just remember that at this stage I am two months old.

[If you're a client-side marketer and would like to be profiled - even if you're not in the top 20 - send in your story!  See this post for details.]

The M20: October 2007

Update of the M20.  See text below for notes.

1. Strategic Public Relations :: Kevin Dugan, FRCH Design [82]
2. ExperienceCurve :: Karl Long, Nokia [74]
3. BeRelevant! :: Tamara Gielen, eBay [55]
4. Conversation Agent :: Valeria Maltoni, SunGard Availability Services [51]
5. The Lonely Marketer :: Patrick Schaber, Transition Networks [50]
6. Todd And - The Power To Connect :: Todd Andrlik, Leopardo Construction [48]
7. Decker Marketing :: Sam Decker, Bazaarvoice [46]
8. Marketing Nirvana :: Mario Sundar, LinkedIn [45]
9. Flooring The Consumer  :: CB Whittemore, Wear-Dated Carpet Fiber [41]
10. Churbuck.com :: David Churbuck, Lenovo [38]
11. Consumer Generated Media :: Pete Blackshaw, Nielsen Buzzmetrics [38]
12. The Digital Mindset Blog :: Eric Kintz, HP [38]
13. AttentionMax :: Max Kalehoff, Nielsen Buzzmetrics [36]
14. Bernaisesource :: Dan Greenfield, Earthlink [35]
15. Biznology :: Mike Moran, IBM [34]
16. Andy Lark's Blog :: Andy Lark, Dell [34]
17. Cross The Breeze :: Kris Hoet, Microsoft [33]
18. Masiguy :: Tim Jackson, Masi Bicycles [32]
19. Buzz Marketing For Technology :: Paul Dunay, BearingPoint [31]
20. Community Group Therapy :: Sean O'Driscoll, Microsoft [30]

Overall, a lot of people seem to have declining Technorati authority numbers; this has been noted around the blogosphere.  I've also removed a couple of blogs from tracking - if there hasn't been a post in the prior month, they're off the list.

As for specifics:  Kevin finally claimed his blog in Technorati and jumped into #1.   The Lonely Marketer was loved, jumping up 3 spots to #5.   Mario is changing feeds, which usually creates problems with subscriptions.  Andy Lark joins the list at #16.

Methodology:  The listings are blog title, blogger, company and [score].  Scores are a weighted calculation of Authority (20% Technorati ranking + 20% Google PageRank) + Attention (10% Alexa traffic) + Influence (50% Total feed subscribers).

Next update:  November 2007.  Additions are always welcome - please post links in comments.