A few months ago, MSPmentor praised several very promising blogs penned by managed service providers, software companies and industry pundits.
Alas, many of those blogs have gone silent. Even worse, they’re still online — allowing everyone to see that they’ve run out of things to say.
I’ll avoid the temptation to list the dead blogs by name. Instead, here are five managed services blogs that continue to move forward with fresh content.
Five Blogs Worth Noting
1. For A Vendor’s View: Check out Gary’s Blog. Written by Nimsoft CEO Gary Read. I must admit: This is one of my favorite industry sites. Gary goes off on tangents, leaks company news, and tells us about his road trips. For better or for worse, he’s real. And that’s refreshing.
2. For An MSP’s View: Visit SMB IT Pros. From the executives at Everon Technology Services, a managed service provider that landed on the Inc. 5000 list this year. Sure, they cheer for vendor products from time to time. But product and vendor endorsements are fair game in the world of blogs.
3. For Another MSP’s View: SBSC & MSP Buzz From Mark. The author is founder and acting CEO of Tech Care Team Inc., an MSP in Charlotte, N.C. I check Mark’s blog regularly for his take on Microsoft.
4. For Another Media Person’s View: The Open Road, CNet’s open source blog, penned by Matt Asay. Not really a managed services blog, but The Open Road can help MSPs get up to speed — fast — on all things open source.
5. For A Consultant And Educator’s View: MSP University Managed Services Blog. Need some MSP business training? MSP University VP and CIO Erick Simpson wrote the book. Or, the books. He summarizes many of his training themes in his blog.
I’m not saying that I agree with all of the viewpoints found in those blogs. But that’s the beauty of collaborative Web sites. Writers and readers are encouraged to weigh in with their opinions.
The Good — And Bad — News
Also, remember this:
- A great blog can raise your company’s visibility, strengthen its brand, and enhance your search engine optimization (SEO).
- A blog that’s never updated suggests that you bit off more than you could chew, or hints that you’re busy dealing with far more pressing issues.
If you’ve got a blog on life support, either pull the plug or get writing.
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Posted In: Marketing
Tags: Erick Simpson | Everon Technology Services | managed service provider blog | Managed services blog | managed services blogs | Matt Asay | MSP blog | MSP University | MSPmentor | Nimsoft CEO Gary Read | SBSC & MSP Buzz | SMB IT Pros | The Open Road
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I also want to add that if you are going to have a blog you need to be careful what you say. In fact of the 5 blogs you mention above I chose not to work with the company based on what I saw in their blog.
My quesion for you guys is how often does the blog need updating? My blog is financial in nature, not technology and while financial markets are in turmoil now, typically the changes in finance occur much more slowly. As such, I’ve been mostly updating weekly. what do you guys think?
Stu
Stu, it depends on what your goals are with the blog. In order to create community and develop lasting relationships, the more frequent the posts the better. That said, without substance, you can post all you want but potential readers won’t come back if they aren’t interested in what you have to say.
Thanks Amy, I don’t do it for community purposes. I do it for informational purposes only since there are so many misunderstandings in my field so its an extra point of reference for clients, colleagues, vendors and prospects. In fact, I rarely put much info about myself in it although today was an exception……its all small business commercial finance all the time.
Lane: to your point I think blogs have to find a unique voice. Link out. Link often. Think about the potential implications of a post. But don’t get so politically correct that you lose your voice trying to please everyone. I often write and rewrite content before pressing publish. But often the most lively and engaging posts are spur of the moment
Hi Joe;
I also find it helpful to visit other blogs to see who is on their blogrolls - I’ve uncovered some really interesting blogs in this manner that have helped shape or reshape my opinions on topics, or teach me something completely new and different…
Erick Simpson
MSP University
http://www.mspu.us
http://www.mspu.us/blog
Thanks for the mention Joe! We have fun writing the blog, and it’s proven to be a great source of new relationships.
You are our idol though…we have no idea how you create so much content!
Mike
http://www.everonit.com
http://www.smbitpros.com
Thank for the shout out Joe! I never read your blog. See you in Miami?
Mark
Mark: You’ll see me in Miami, assuming you’re at CompTIA’s Managed Services Summit. Hope you see value in reading MSPmentor going forward.