New Company Brings Blogging To The Business World

Corporate blogging pioneer Christine Halvorson is on a mission to convince corporate America that "business blogging" is not an oxymoron.

Hancock, NH (PRWEB) September 18, 2006 -- Blogging for business. In a world of MySpace and virtual reality, "business blogging" may seem like an oxymoron. Corporate blogging pioneer Christine Halvorson is on a mission to change that perception.

Halvorson has announced the formation of Halvorson New Media, LLC (halvorsonnewmedia.com), to help corporations harness the "buzz" about blogging and use that power for their own benefit.

"In 2005, Business Week announced that blogging would change business," Halvorson said. "It hasn’t yet, but it certainly should. A blog can be a company’s own newspaper, radio station, television station and publishing company. How can you ask for more in controlling your own corporate image and messages?"

Halvorson developed blogs for Stonyfield Farm, the world’s largest producer of organic yogurt. Her work was featured in Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, numerous on-line sites, and several industry books on corporate blogging. She has addressed large and small gatherings of corporate marketers and public relations professionals, intent on alleviating their fears of this open communications platform.

Her most recent client is the Portuguese Trade and Tourism Office, whose New York bureau needed an efficient way to deliver tourism news and story ideas to travel media. "They wanted all kinds of bells and whistles, but without a major new investment in web technology," said Halvorson. Working with strategic communications partner Louis Karno & Company, Halvorson devised a customized news blog (insideportugaltravel.com) that allows the tourism bureau’s staff to upload their information at a moment’s notice. Portugal’s government has hailed the site as "revolutionary" and instructed its other satellite offices to consider similar tools.

"Corporate blogs are where company web sites were 12 years ago, when businesses sat around wondering if they really needed to build a web site," Halvorson said. "Think how silly that seems now. Businesses fear losing control with blogs, but blogs are the perfect way for them to regain control and, at the same time, be more open with consumers."

Halvorson cites the recent emergence of blogs in some traditional corners, including a major hospital complex and the Los Angeles Police Department, which is using a blog to get police news to the community . "If the nation of Portugal and the Los Angeles Police Department can do it, your company can do it," Halvorson said.

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