Short-term blogs are blogs created for a specific function. Such as Seth’s separate, short-lived, blogs for his new books. Or Coca-Cola’s Blog Blast. Most commonly, these blogs help launch products or respond to a key issue. Cheltenham Borough Council established a short-term blog to respond to the 2007 floods.
However, for short-term blogs to work, a combination of the following points are essential.
- The blog must be heavily promoted to its intended audience
- The blog relates to a time-sensitive issue of high importance
- The author(s) has existing credibility
- It is highly optimised for search engines
- It has a measurable purpose
I think in part, it’s easier to sell in short-term blogs to clients. They don’t go on forever, the results can be measured, and all the necessary work/schedule can be planned in advance. A short-term blog can be rather contrary to the typical nature of blogging. Professional bloggers will cite the benefits of blogs as authenticity, long-term relationship building and two-way conversations between authors and customers. So why do short-term blogs seem to be increasingly common?
Lets not confuse the terms here, there is a big difference between short-term, function-orientated, blogs and blogs which are abandoned. The latter being harmful to the company (though realistically the most likely outcome of all blogs.
I can see short-term blogs working in many companies. New film releases perhaps, new product launches, in the run up to a major event, short-lived partnership projects. Anything time-specific might well benefit more from an intense short-lived push of a blog than the longer view presented by many professional bloggers.
Also read Rohit Bhargava’s post on short-term blogs.
