Ten years ago you’d never hear someone say “I blogged it out” or “Did you read that PerezHilton blog entry on Bobby Brown?” The truth is, blog probably sounded like a stupid word in 1997, but over the past three years, the term has become engrained in our vernacular. It’s everywhere. Even MC Hammer is blogging. And as Web 2.0 continues to thrive, there’s absolutely no stopping the four-letter word - so get used to it!

Blogs have simplified the way information is shared across the world. They provide an easy way to spread thoughts or opinions (both positive and negative) to millions. They’re easy to manage, fun to write and aren’t inhibited by normal ethics of journalism.

For some companies, this fast-paced, consumer-focused medium can mean utter disaster (please reference every single article on consumerist.com).  But for others (also known as “the smart ones”), embracing these user opinions can boost brand recognition, loyalty and consumer trust.   

Over the past years, companies have been looking for better ways to integrate consumer blogs and bloggers into their web marketing strategies, many of which have yielded excellent results.  Here’s a list of three organizations that are doing the “blog thing” right: 

1.  Dell - In the midst of one of the hottest product crises in recent years (with nearly 4 million recalls), Dell turned to its greatest adversary to help it get back on its feet - the bloggers.  Facing criticism and ridicule throughout the blog universe about its EXPLODING laptops, Dell quickly reached out to these nay-saying, citizen journalists with a transparent, helpful voice.   

Even more impressively, Dell opened an online community for these bloggers called IdeaStorm, allowing anyone to post suggestions or ideas about the company’s products and services.  Offering more than just face time, Dell is actually listening to what its people have to say - over 100,000 community participants have been successful in convincing Dell to offer Linux on its new laptops and desktops.  Now that’s hot. 

2.  style.com - Rather than directly competing with one of the top fashion blogs on the web, style.com did the next best thing - they hired the blogger.  Writer Scott Schuman now freelances for both style.com and GQ, while making continuous updates to his own site.  And Time Magazine recently named him one of the top 100 design influencers of 2007 - not bad for a man with a blog and some clothes! 

3.  The National Hockey League - In a small, but important step for the NHL (as they work to recover fans lost to a 2004 no-show season), several of its teams have “become one” with and embraced their blogging community. Teams (including the 3-1 NY Islanders - WOOT!) have added links to numerous, regularly updated fan blogs into their official team sites.  The devoted bloggers chat about game highlights, trade speculation and any rumors that may be floating around the league.   

Following the lead of organizations like Dell, Style and the NHL, companies across the world are accepting that their consumers are using blogs as credible news and opinion resources.  

So, at MGH, we recommend you do the same and make friends with your bloggers.  Get to know who they are - what they like, what they don’t.  Find a way to build a relationship that’s useful to the both of you. And always, ALWAYS be open and honest.  The last thing you need is an angry mob of Interneters giving you a sound digital lashing. 

Every 1.4 seconds, a new blog is born…so start reading today!     

My first 10 years on the Internet were spent chatting on instant messenger, listening for “the man” to tell me that “I’ve got mail!”, and watching videos of who-knows-who breaking who-knows-what on a skateboard.

It was okay for a while, but there was something missing. Sure, I loved wasting hours upon hours basking in the sweet glow of my computer monitor (and I did develop a very fine pixel tan), but I couldn’t help but feel that I needed more.

Then I found Digg .

Ever since the up-and-coming site came into my life, things haven’t been the same. I spend my days and nights glued to the refresh button. And there are millions upon millions (and growing) of others out there who are living the same way.

For those of you who haven’t heard of or visited Digg.com (also see “Living under the biggest rock of all time”), it’s time that you took part in MGH’s “Digg” Crash Course.  

Get out your pens and pencils.

Digg.com is a site that lets its users submit news stories, videos, images, or anything that they think is newsworthy. Stories and websites gain popularity and positioning through a distinctive user-ranking system.Here’s how it works:

1) I find a sweet video of dog going down a waterslide 

2) I “Digg” it by registering with Digg.com, and either clicking on a button that looks like this or submitting the website directly through Digg.

3) The page gets entered into the “Upcoming” section of the “Videos” category where other visitors can watch the clip.

4) The visitor the has the choice to either “Digg” or “Bury” my video. If he or she likes it, I get one “Digg.” If not, I get one “Bury.”

5) Once my video gets enough “diggs” (approx. 20), it makes its way to the front page of Digg.com where thousands of visitors turn the dog into the next overnight Internet sensation. If the video gets “buried,” it enters the Digg archive and is eventually deleted.

Unique to Digg is the fact that stories and websites are ranked according to their popularity among users, rather than by the preference of editors. This means that while CNN.com and MSNBC.com may be running three stories about Britney losing her kids, there’s a large part of the population that’s more interested in “Strange and Bizarre Odors that People Love” and “Free light bulb recycling in London”.

There are thousands of religious Diggers who visit the site, submit stories, and “digg ” on a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis, so harnessing the power of the Digg can mean big things for you and your company. After all, it is the ultimate, web-based word of mouth tool - it puts the story in the hands of the people, and lets them decide what is or is not newsworthy. What could be better than that?

Now that you’ve got a basic understanding of how/why it all works, here are a few quick tips to get you started on your way to Digg fame:

1) Button up - Add the “Digg This” button to your website. It lets the visitor “digg” you without having to manually submit your page to Digg. This small action can make or break your chances of getting “dugg.”

2) Get involved - Don’t just use Digg as a means to promote yourself and your site. If you do, the “regulars” will most likely see right through you and will make sure that your story is buried deep into the cold, dark archives. Instead, turn yourself into a regular. Make friends. Comment on stories. Digg things. The more proactive you become within the network, the better your chances of gaining popularity among “diggers.”

3) Prepare - So you’ve made it to the front page of Digg. Hundreds of users are hitting your site all at once…. only to find a dreaded “Page cannot be displayed” message. Huge influxes in traffic from front page Digg stories have been known to totally crash certain sites, referred to by some as the “Digg Effect”. Avoid this by making sure your site is equipped to handle large amounts of bandwidth and traffic (i.e., see your IT guy).

So that’s it. You know exactly enough to get out there and start digging.

A good starting point would be this entry. Click the little man below.

Trivia: The word “Digg” was used approximately 35 times in the above blog entry. Try and Thesaurus.com that one!