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corporate and e-retail websites where it is now common to see a blog link on
the sites' homepages. Fortunately, this integration is present to a lesser extent in
the luxury domain (read on to understand the “fortunately”). Interestingly, blogs
are also beginning to incorporate elements and formats of mainstream websites
such as advertisements, in a bid to ensure richer content and more engagement
with readers. This will eventually translate into the transformation of the inter-
active media and publishing as discussed later in this chapter.
Bloggers and bloggees
Blogs exist today because of people and they also thrive because of people.
The technology that makes blogs possible remains important but in the blogo-
sphere, what counts more than the technology, systems and process that power
the websites are the moderators and participants that keep the blogs alive.
This elite group of influencers is also becoming trusted information partners
to their audience, particularly to a whole new generation of people who are
digital-minded. Blogs now exist on a par with news publications and are viewed
as complements to information, entertainment and opinions. This fact elevates
the blogger to a position of authority, responsibility and influence.
Mastering the technology that supports blogs is now a given for bloggers
and their audiences. Those seeking to understand their worlds, including lux-
ury brands, must look beyond the technicalities and dig deep into the pro-
files, motivations, interests and attitudes of bloggers and their audiences.
Although blogs generally have a specific area of interest or style which
draws their participants, bloggers are not a homogeneous group. They are, in
reality, driven by varying motivations and as a result cover a range of inter-
linked topics. Statistics from Technorati indicate that, on average, five topics
are covered in each standard blog. In addition, bloggers are able to identify
relevant issues and present them in an engaging manner that is inviting to the
reader to participate in the ensuing conversations.
Bloggers are not all the same of course, but in general they exhibit the
following characteristics:
1. Bloggers are knowledgeable. They make it their business to be informed
in order to keep their audiences intrigued by the dimensions of their infor-
mation entries and their objective commentary. Their sources are vast,
ranging from media to street research, interviews and panels, as well as
tapping into the discussion entries of their participants.
2. Bloggers are savvy with technology and the cyberspace. They know how to
use keywords, images and content to arouse the interest of their readers and
understand how to navigate their way through cyberspace to make them-
selves seen, heard and discussed. They understand the tricks of the collabo-
rative Internet world and how to ensure that their websites are referenced,
linked, tagged, forwarded, shared and generally kept flowing in the virtual
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