Intro and Blog #1

Blog Posting #1: The Ascension of the Blog and the Need for Caution

The Inaugural Moment

Well, there is no way to put it subtly so I have opted to bludgeon ahead instead; this is my first ever blog posting on my first ever blog. I feel as though I have been waiting this moment all of my life – the culmination of my nervous anticipation, the point at which I finally get what “it” is about...

Just kidding, as a self-proclaimed smart-ass, logothetis has no business being either surprised or anticipatory. I already knew what it would feel like and what I would say because I basically know everything :-D.

Seriously now, I do like to harbour intelligent discussion and share experiences, and hopefully you enjoy my sense of logos.

It All Starts with Google...

I should briefly describe two important aspects of myself. First, I work during the day as a consultant to international students looking to study in Canada. At the same time, I am a part-time MBA student and I have created this blog for the purposes of showcasing the content of an internet marketing course I am currently enrolled in.

Recently, I was sitting through a particularly boring class (not this one) and decided to muck about on Google. I searched “my name” in quotes, and discovered that I had a hit on an Arabic website. A little alarmed, I translated the page and scoured it to see how I had possibly ended up being listed there.

As it turns out, a group of students from Saudi Arabia had posted my recommendations regarding their intended program onto a forum. My name popped up in my workplace email signature, along with two full emails that I had sent to one of the forum’s members. Over the past year, I have emailed hundreds of students on how they could benefit from the services offered by my employer, and I had little recollection of this particular student. I eagerly read on to see what this little corner of the web had to say about my advice!

Food for Thought

What I found was a bit of surprise (even to a resident know-it-all). I quickly recognized my approach, as it was fairly standard. I analysed the prospective client’s application, decided that there was little opportunity of mutual benefit, and advised that the program the prospective student was seeking was very exclusive (and hinted that the credentials I saw did not show a lot of potential). Basically, the quick brush-off, known as “firing customers” in relationship marketing, seemed like the sensible thing to do for one client that represented little profit potential.

Now, let’s take a look at the forum. There were 7 active bloggers who were conversing in the forum. They were checking out study opportunities in a variety of markets, including the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. They were also working together on crafting their correspondence with me. Where I thought I was conversing with a sole student, I was contacting at least eight (who knows how many more were reading but not blogging).

Time, then, to re-examine my managerial training. Would I be more willing to deal with this low-potential student if he represented economies of scale across a contract of eight relatively similar clients? You bet your ass. Did I have any ability to know this at the time? Not so much.

Conclusions

The conclusion here is simple from my perspective. Blogging (and its culmination in forums, which I personally view as community blogs) is transforming the concept of business transactions. Luckily for me, the comments on the blog pointed to the fact that I knew what I was talking about, and that maybe a country with easier accessibility to their chosen program was a good idea. I “fired” one customer but “laid off” eight, in the end. Also, my written consultation was now posted to a public forum that was accessible by a Google search (and most likely through other major search engines). Should my colleagues in the education industry search my name, they would come across my comments as a gate-keeper to the Canadian market.

I think the ramifications here speak for themselves. I need to watch what I say, and how I say it lest I ruffle the wrong feathers or give crappy advice (thus incurring the ire of, well, just about anyone).

I cannot help but wonder though, what gains are there to leveraging this kind of attention? What are the managerial controls that apply here (if any)? Pandora’s Box or Midas’ Touch?

I need to mull this over a bit longer.........