Notes: Erik of Toronto

One of the challenges online marketers face in the workplace is getting their coworkers engaged in blogging and other forms of social media.  I’ve had a number of conversations with other marketers struggling to get their colleagues to engage and write on the company blog.

When I first set up the blog, I naively thought my opinionated coworkers would flock at the chance to share their thoughts and opnions.

LOL

I posted a few posts myself, but otherwise there it sat for a couple of months collecting dust bytes.  During this time (late ‘08) I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and started following some interesting HR professionals - I work for an HR consulting firm -  and in the process started to learn a good deal about some of the industry’s challenges and hot topics.  Once I got my bearings, I started to blog a couple times a week whenever I read an interesting article, etc.  And thus came an attempt at leading by example; perhaps if I just start blogging and showing how easy it is the others would follow.

lol

It sort of worked, thus the lowercase lol, but I only managed to engage a couple people in the process.  Though the blog was starting to see a steady flow of traffic, so that was something.  But I think I’ve discovered the trick - at least for my situation: bloggin’ buddies.

For about one month, one of my colleagues volunteers or “volunteers” to be my bloggin’ buddy - my go to person to write any post ideas that come up or to respond to LinkedIn questions I come across.  As part of the process I take an hour or so and explain the fundamentals: what is a blog, twitter, RSS, Google Reader and whatever else they might be curious about.  And then for a month hit them with one or two writing assignments every week.  The one-on-one time to de-mystify social media seems to really help break the ice and get that keyboard working.

For those not of the Gen Y state of mind (isn’t it less about age, and more about a work/life philosophy?!), the world of social media can be scary and confusing place and they just need a guide.  I wonder if I can get the office to call me Ranger Erik.

LOL