Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/56539
Technology Blogging and the B-School Reap the institutional benefits from student- and faculty-written blogs. by Karen Buck Blogs can help business schools add a valuable human dimension to their marketing and communications efforts. But to attract attention effectively, institutional blogs must tell true stories with genuine voices and provide meaningful informa- tion from knowledgeable sources. To achieve such authenticity, busi- ness schools must be willing to resist the temptation to control or censor their content. "Blogs offer a level of transpar- Orleans, Louisiana. Donaldson runs the independent student blog, tulanemba.org. When students plan to spend $150,000 for their educa- tions, says Donaldson, they want to know what it's truly like to be a part of a school's community. Blogs offer this kind of access without an expensive campus visit. That kind of transparency can make some administrators ner- vous. If a school's administration is afraid that a blog will reveal negative information about its community, then it probably isn't a good option, says Alex Brown, a senior admissions counselor at Clear Admit, an organization that provides counseling services to prospective business students. "Blogging only works if you have a school experience that students are excited to blog about," says Brown. On the other hand, he adds, the transparency of blogging can also Five Steps to Starting a Blog ency that didn't used to exist," says Will Donaldson, a second-year MBA student at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business in New 1 56 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2009 Find the Right Staff. If a blog is to be written independently by stu- dents, it may not need a great deal of strategic guidance. But if it origi- nates with the school, staff may be required to create an editorial plan or schedule, develop the appropri- ate tone, and monitor and approve comments. Columbia Business School takes 2 what it calls a "curated" approach to its blog. A full-time staff member leads the editorial planning and development and does much of the writing. Faculty, alumni, and oth- ers often contact her with questions about how to contribute. Enlist the Right Author(s). Blogs don't always have just one author. In fact, a variety of voices can appeal to a broader audience. If the blog is written by students or volunteers, choose people who are comfortable online and already spend a great deal of time there, since blogging requires a time commitment. Also consider "archetyping." Seek contributors who represent your target audience. For admis- sions, seek authors who are similar ANTENNA/GETTY IMAGES