Is this the beginning of the end for the CEO blog as client outreach? A report by Forrester Research seems to think so, according to a recent article by Christine Kent at Ragan.com. "Blogs read like tired, warmed-over press releases," Kent quotes Forrester's Laura Ramos as saying. "Corporate bloggers [just] yak away about their companies and products." Yikes.

What's Forrester's beef with the B2B blog? It's too corporate. "Many B2B marketers fail to realize that good blogging style should resemble a coffee shop conversation, not a whitepaper," says the report.

Big Guy Bloggers should try learning from those who are getting it right. Here are some tips from John Dragoon, CMO at Novell, who was praised by Forrester for his authentic blog voice:

Offer inside scoops and viewpoints. "As an executive, you have a privileged view inside your company," says Dragoon. "I try to write and share something unique that readers wouldn't get through other channels of communication."

Don't get huffy about negativity. "Don't feel that you have to respond to or even publish overly negative comments or feedback," he says.

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