Business Blog Wire

Just got off the phone with John Cass.  We want to get some people together – okay, some business blogging geeks like ourselves together – and do a new grassroots group research project thingy on Fortune 500 companies' use of social media, including blogging.  In the same spirit as the Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki and Fortune 500 Blog Project efforts, we want to sweep through all 500 companies quickly and thoroughly and give the world a better understanding of what's really going with Fortune 500 blogs and where they're headed.

Why do Fortune 500 business blog efforts matter?

How does a multi-billion-dollar corporate blog compare to a small business blog or a solo professional blog?  What could we learn by knowing how the biggest U.S. companies are using blogs?  Why should we care about the blogs (or lack thereof) of companies like Wal-Mart or Microsoft or Dell or McDonald's?

I can think of at least 3 big reasons off the top of my head.

1. If you knew what was working for some of these giant companies, you could apply it to your own company blog.

2. If you knew what wasn't working for the big guys, you could avoid it on your own business blog. 

3. If you knew why Fortune 500 companies have blogs or don't have blogs, you could decide – and help others decide – whether having a business blog is a good idea.

What do you think?

Would such a volunteer study be a waste of time?  What would make it successful and useful?  Who do you know that might be willing to brainstorm with John and me and get this sucker done?

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