Susan Mernit posts about the “just jump in” corporate blogging philosophy. I tend to think that corporate blogs should, at least, have an idea of their editorial mission and scope before just jumping in. It’d also be helpful to have a solid handle on the blogosphere, so you could learn from others’ mistakes.
And folks should understand it’s a big commitment. One thing I find with writing is that it takes training and practice to be able to meet a deadline — to write quickly and succinctly and coherently. Blogs, by their very nature, have daily (at least) deadlines, and you don’t want to get into a “writer’s block” situation. My husband, for example, has drafted out probably 1000 words for an entry in his blog, but he still hasn’t made post one. Even people who write professionally (but not under constant deadline pressure) can find it difficult to write when there’s a deadline.
So perhaps when it comes to planning your blog, think twice and take your time. But when it comes to the writing, just jump in.
I think Om Malik is a perfect example of just jumping in a writing. I’ve seen so many typos in that blog, but there’s so much content that it doesn’t really matter. I guess maybe I think that because there’s always something new to focus on. Now, I don’t exactly condone bad grammar or spelling, but it doesn’t seem to hurt his readership. It goes back to a post about video and audio quality I read earlier today from Buzz Machine about Current TV. All they want is quality content and they don’t care if it’s shot on HD or a webcam. That to me signals a sea change in the way we think of quality, because it’s no longer about crafting each word to be perfect. If you’re going to do that, write a novel. Blogging is about just getting it out there and letting people see who you are and what you have to say. And if I misspell a wurd hear or their, sue mee.