Jim Foster Doesn’t Blog – Or Does He?

By on November 18, 2006 in Conversations with 7 Comments

In Ted Demopoulos’ latest book, What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting, there is a story about Jim Foster – and he doesn’t blog.  Or does he?

As a sales pro, Jim uses search engines and tracks blogs for information about clients, prospects and industry news that matters to their products. Smart thinking.

This reminds me of the story A Single Feed Creates a Lifetime of Loyalty.By using the tools available, smart business people will track the blogosphere with a Search Once and Subscribe approach.

It’s amazing how many business people – leaders in their industry (for now) – say they see no business reason for paying attention to blogs. Get your head out of the sand! Your vision is fuzzy.

Even IF blogs were all about politics, quilting, hobbies and videos – these are the voices of your potential customer. Engage.

Quick Tip: Are you about to propose a business deal with a new company? Check to see if anyone is blogging. Conduct a LinkedIn Search for the company’s name and add the word "blog" to the search. Check to see what the blogosphere is saying about that company using Technorati or Google Blog Search.

So Jim Foster doesn’t blog…or at least he doesn’t publish a blog (yet), By listening to the voices, I submit that Jim is part of the conversation. Blogs are part of his business toolbox.

By the way, Go buy Ted’s book. You’ll find 188 pages of gold and two pages of silver. (Disclousre: My thoughts appear on two of those pages – hence the silver)

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  • http://www.jetsongreen.com Preston

    I couldn’t agree more. I think a growing number of companies are asking their PR companies to pay particular attention to the blogosphere.
    A fellow political blogger in Dallas just wrote about someone in the Texas Congress trying to create a Libel Law for Bloggers. It would allow bloggers to be sued and have their posts taken down or edited. Regardless of the law stuff (I think bloggers can already be subject to libel laws, but…) THE POINT – this wouldn’t come up as an issue if companies weren’t concerned about the social, info spreading that has become blogging with a shot of feed aggregation.

  • http://www.OwnYourBrand.com Michael Wagner

    I agree too…but you knew that.
    Anyhow, having added a Technorati screen shot to my “brand ownership” power point presentation recently I can attest that no one out of the last three hundred participants in my sessions knew what Technorati is or how to use it as a “listening” tool.
    So there is a wonderful opportunity for others to discover what Jim Foster already knows…”listening is your competitive advantage, if you know how”.
    Thanks Mike for pouring some Sansone wisdom on our biz heads out here.

  • http://bloggingforbusinessbook.com Ted Demopoulos

    It’s interesting — I remember talking to Jim Foster about blogs. Just a casual conversation over a few beers, explaining that they aren’t all personal rants like his brother’s blog, but often contained useful business content.
    6 months later he considers them a critical business tool. Smart guy that Jim, and I’m sure he’s brought several co-workers on board as well.

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    > Preston – great example of how all businesses should pay attention. Not just sales and PR, but lawyers as well as educators, manufacturers, investors – we can list just about every SIC, right?
    >Michael – thanks for putting a bug (a gadfly?) in their ears:-)
    > Ted – Thanks for sharing more on the Jim Foster story. It may be one of the most important chapters in your book.

  • http://www.thebizofknowledge.com/2007/01/66_successful_bloggers_and_wha.html TheBizofKnowledge

    66 Successful Bloggers and What they can teach you

    At the bottom of this post I will tell you how I came up with this list and the order.Heres the list.1. Seth Godin – will teach you what kinds of blogs there are.2. Bob Cragill – will teach you…

  • http://www.romerican.com/ Romer!can

    I’m in the minority of people who think LinkedIn is way overpriced and will someday be replaced by an open, free system of relationship referrals… much in the way blogs are open and free, even possibly bringing business.

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    I use LinkedIn mostly for research (wish they would add RSS feeds to the searches), and as a relationship building vehicle – I agree that the conversations we have as bloggers are much more dynamic. Good add.

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