Working at Home on the Internet

The Downfall of The Blog Herald

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This NOT a Flame or Rant. Just facts as I see them and how they relate to Working at Home.

The Blog Herald Then…

I have been reading the Blog Herald ever since I found it more than a year ago when Duncan Riley still owned it. I thought it would go down hill a little after it was bought by BlogMedia. That didn’t really happen, they worked hard to make it even better than the First Blog Herald (quite a feat) and mostly succeeded.

With Matt Craven at the helm, the ideals were kept to the high standard of the original. They added regular contributors, had great interviews and up-to-date articles with multiple posts daily. They kept up with the times, often adding their own opinions to the mix of controversy revolving (and evolving) around current events on the Internet.

The Blog Herald Now…

Since the recent sale, everything has changed. Firstly, the new owners remained anonymous for a full week after the sale. I feel at least a little disclosure and what to expect would have been nice for regular readers. I used to enjoy reading the articles and got to know a little about the authors through them. Most of the contributors, if not all, have left. The writers now, don’t seem to care, they just regurgitate whatever is popular from other sources. I HAD a feed to get updates as they came in. I no longer enjoy reading any of the articles, nor do I have a link to the feed.

I find the new owners posts badly written, outdated and irrelevant for the most part. Their concept of the Old Blog Herald is totally missing, as in when “being original” mattered. I’m sure that I am not the only former reader who has unsubscribed from the feed. It seems, to me at least, some of the Former Advertisers feel the same way, if the Ads in their Header, Footer and Sidebar are any indication.

Lessons for a Home Business

1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you have plans of acquiring another business as a means of expansion, make sure you can handle it. Have a game plan in place because you will have to rebuild at least a little, try to keep the customers that came with the business.

2. Don’t forget about the customers. They are the reason the business was successful in the first place. Expect and prepare for a drop off of customers, but if you maintain stability and reliability in the product, they should remain loyal.

3. Instill confidence in the base. The reason you would buy the company is the success it has shown. It got that way because of the confidence of the customers in service and reliability. Try to keep that confidence by not changing things to quickly. Let the customer adjust.

4. Be Transparent. When you are through with all the formalities of the sale, make sure the customers know that you are taking over. Introduce yourself through flyers, a post (or 2), explain what changes will and will not be made and give references (yes, they are important to customers too). Let them know who you are, don’t make them guess.

As you can see, all four points are about the customer. The customer may not always be right, but they are your bread and butter. So, if you have any plans for procurement to increase your business profile and income through sales, Don’t Forget the Customer.

Related:

Duncan Riley Leaves b5media

How to Lose a Visitor Before They Become a Reader

The Lost Art of Editing Yourself

Would You Read Your Own Blog?

My prediction: The Blog Herald will be sold by Tax Day (April 15 US) or they will wish they sold before the price went too far below their buying price. I hope I’m wrong and they improve the product, but I think I will miss the Blog Herald afterall.

December 21st, 2006 at 06:05am | Posted by Joe | Attitude, Basics, Reviews, Tips, Work at Home | 3 reader remarks | Print This Post