Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk With Customers

About the Authors

Robert Scoble and Shel Israel bring a unique blend of experience and insight into the world of blogging and its impact on business communication. Robert Scoble, known for his influential blog Scobleizer, has been a significant voice in the tech community since 2000. He helps run Microsoft's Channel 9 website and has an impressive readership of over 3.5 million annually. Shel Israel, on the other hand, has played a strategic role in introducing some of technology's most successful products and has been a noted expert on innovation for over two decades. Together, they provide an authoritative perspective on how blogging is reshaping the way businesses interact with their customers.

Main Idea

In Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing the Way Businesses Talk With Customers, Scoble and Israel delve into the transformative power of blogging in the business world. They argue that blogs offer a new, authentic way for companies to engage with their customers, fostering transparency, trust, and direct communication. Through numerous interviews and case studies, they illustrate how blogging can enhance a company's image, build community, and even boost employee morale. The book emphasizes that the conversational nature of blogs makes them a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their audience in a genuine and effective manner.

Table of Contents

1. Souls of the Borg
2. Everything Never Changes
3. Word of Mouth on Steroids
4. Direct Access
5. Little Companies, Long Reach
6. Consultants Who Get It
7. Survival of the Publicists
8. Blogs and National Cultures
9. Thorns in the Roses
10. Doing It Wrong
11. Doing It Right
12. How to Not Get Dooced
13. Blogging in a Crisis
14. Emerging Technology
15. The Conversational Era

Souls of the Borg

Microsoft's transformation from a perceived corporate behemoth to a more approachable entity is a prime example of how blogging can change public perception. The company's Channel 9 blog allowed employees to present a human face, addressing issues candidly and engaging directly with users. As

Walter Mossberg observed, "Since the end of the anti-trust trial, Microsoft has been on a massive charm offensive... And the company has allowed numerous employees to show a human face by blogging."