Just recently I used the “memogate” fiasco with Dan Rather as an example of the power of bloggers, and why as a small business owner you should take notice.

If you recall, within 30-minutes of that now infamous TV special on “60-Minutes II” show bloggers were digging into the facts and questioning the validity of what had just been presented by the 42-year broadcast veteran. In less than one week, CBS admitted it could “no longer vouch” for the memos. And just weeks after the election, Rather announced his retirement and the blogosphere won another victory.

Here’s an update on that story, and how what happened can help you improve your business blogging.

Today CBS canned four employees related to the now infamous Sept. 8th 60-Minutes II show. No matter what people in the mainstream media (MSM) may say, bloggers and their impact on the way news is handled are here to stay. People are watching, and now they have an instant publishing tool that let’s everyone know it.

It’s not that honest mistakes can’t happen. They do, and will continue to. It’s the arrogance and condescension that ticks people off the most. Jeff Jarvis, who runs the blog Buzzmachine.com put it best when he was interviewed by Fox News today. “The mistake of Dan Rather is that he said, ‘I don’t make mistakes,’” That’s just plain silly, and the average person knows it.

The fact is, the dirty little secret is out now. All journalism is opinion journalism. It always has been, only now everyone knows it for sure. Opinion counts as a plus, but only when it’s honest and out front.

So what can you learn about blogging from the mistakes and underestimations of the MSM media? Well, there are four things that are directly related to this story. Here they are:

1. With a good blogger, you always know the opinion of the source.

Lesson: People are becoming more skeptical of motives. If you don’t make your motives clear, trust goes down. Trust goes down, rapport is broken, and people stop reading, watching, and listening.

2. Facts still matter.

Lesson: No longer can haphazard statements be thrown out without factual backing. It’s way too easy to check the validity of facts with the resources of the internet. If a blogger is wrong they’ll be found out darn fast, within minutes on the top blogs. (And now that rapid fact-checking and accountability is starting to bleed over into the mortar world.)

3. It’s a communication channel that finally allows a dialog.

Lesson: Many people have grown tired of “preaching” from the pulpit of MSM by talking heads posing as “unbiased commentators.” Be prepared to dialog with your readers. That’s what they want. There should never be a comment on your business blog without some type of reply from you, someone from your team, or another subscriber/reader.

And most importantly for small-business owners …

4. People buy from people they like.

Lesson: Whether it’s news, information, products, or services — it’s human nature to want to receive that from people who think like us. It’s doubtful that the MSM will ever realize that and apply it at a level deep enough to make an impact that will slow their rapidly accelerating decline.

You as an effective entrepreneur in a 21st-century marketplace, don’t have the luxury of ignorance. You cannot ignore this trend and expect to grow as rapidly as possible.

Please understand, I’m not saying that blogs and the blogosphere are the end-all answer to your communication challenges. But when you understand human behavior, and the power of influence, you’ll find that blogging can give you significant leverage.

Once you learn the ins and outs of business blogging, you’ll understand that it’s one of the fastest ways you can to get yourself known and liked by people who think like you. And that my friend is the first step to loyal, long-term relationships.

John-Paul Micek
Click-and-Mortar Coach
Business Owners Coaching Club
http:/www.AdvancedBusinessBlogging.com

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