As I read “Naked Converstions,” I kept thinking that I am so behind the 8 Ball when it comes to creative communications! Originally, I saw blogs as fads, really just things that were great fun to read when your sister posted stories about adventures in Hong Kong or when your friend shared photos about her pug.  They were fun, light-hearted but not forces in the world. I admit that I even knew friends (hey, Scott!) who were avid blog readers, but blog importance still didn’t sink in.

Things changed about a year ago when I encountered a blogger at a press event.  Jennifer of the Silver Spring Penguin came armed with a camera and a reporter’s notebook and I knew that this was no longer my sister’s blogging world anymore. A whole new reporter had emerged… the blogging reporter. Now, I get my daily updates from the Penguin. But, I still didn’t see where I fit in beyond outreach…

And then, I signed up for the Social Media class and began thinking… can blogging become a part of my  communications strategy? “Naked Conversations” showed me that it has become vital to get involved and not just sit on the sideline.

It is not just about taking the typical press release-speak and putting it into a blog post.  In blogging, you need to bare yourself… show that you’re human. Speak like a real person. It sounds easy, but the book proves that it is not. As I would expect, marketing and sales-speak try to jump into the posts. I can see how it would be hard to resist.  Do I sound human?  Or, do I need to keep looking for my voice?

The book also showed me that I’ve been working day in and day out with my head in the sand. Who knew that so many businesses are blogging? I didn’t.

The case statements truly showed the benefit of blogs, especially in times of crisis. What could be better than an instantaneous way to share your side of the story?

My one complaint is that I wish the authors spoke more about the Do’s and Don’ts of personal blogs.  Yes, some of their tips are applicable to me, but others are not so much.  Tip #5–Show Authority? I’m not an expert of anything other than my own thoughts and feelings. I’m just me, a non-authority. Tip #7–Be accessible… really, I am not planning to post my phone number on this blog or attend conferences to talk about blogging. But I guess if I was creating a business blog, this would all make sense.

While reading, I realized that while it has been years since the revolutionary Cluetrain Manifesto, not much has changed online communications. The Cluetrain set up its 95 Theses in 1999, but some of Scoble’s Corporate Weblog Manifesto sounds awfully much the same.  I know Scoble probably intended the title to refer to the Cluetrain, but what has really changed since 1999? Ultimately, it’s still about using a human voice.

One side note… the authors’ Naked Conversations blog has kind of turned into Shel’s blog.  I don’t know what I was expecting when I went there, but I was hoping for something that was an extension of the book. I didn’t feel that’s what I got.  Feel free to check it out and give your thoughts too.