Using a Blog to Improve Organizational Success

"Larpmania", a small organization located in Montreal, is devoted to Larping and its related activities. What is Larping you ask? LARP is an acronym for Live Action Role Playing, and "Larping" is the act of participating in it. Participants will usually relocate to a secluded area where they will adopt new personalities and engage in a variety of games and activities. Larpers go to great lengths to remain "in character" so that the game is as vivid and as immersing as possible for all players.

Larpmania has never had much of a budget for spreading the word about their meetings and activities. As a result, they've had a difficult time garnering support and popularity for their chapter. All that changed when they discovered blogging.

Some Advantages

Committed members began blogging about the latest developments in the Larping domain and also began freely sharing their knowledge and expertise[9] on how to create quality and engaging Larping sessions. They were able to provide quick and complete updates on all their activities which could be viewed by anyone with an internet connection.

They initially notified Larpers of their new blog by word of mouth, but this soon translated into blogsite hits and then links to the site being spread by avid participants. As more and more members contributed to the Larpmania blog, it became a hub for all Lapers in Montreal to share information and coordinate activities [9].

Larpmania managed to use a blog to get the word out about their organization without having to resort to costly marketing schemes[9] and expensive adds. Such are the advantages of using a blog for an organization. (The previous story is fictive).

Some Disadvantages

A blog, in some cases, can reflect poorly on the quality of your organization. For example, if you were a manufacturer of high grade steel products, you wouldn't want to be advertising or taking orders on a blog. This would reflect negatively on the competence, seriousness and integrity of the company[10].

Blog users also have very little control. Anyone can come in and write whatever they want on the blog and spam bots could also display unwanted advertising which would tarnish the image of the company. Site management control is also lost as users must endure periods when their blog is disabled by the blog company as it upgrades the site or does maintenance work on it[10].

References:

[9] http://www.nprcenter.org/knowledgebase-mainmenu-203/web-20-for-nonprofits-mainmenu-402/benefits-of-blogs-mainmenu-404.html

[10] http://www.thesitewizard.com/general/blogging-pros-and-cons.shtml