The Corporate Blogging Book by Debbie Weil (Penguin Portfolio); available on Amazon

The Sept. 20th, 2006 teleconference for The Corporate Blogging Book was a lot of fun. There were nine participants, each of whom purchased five copies of my new book from 800-CEO-Read.

One caller, Cathy Chatfield-Taylor, was energetic enough to take really good notes. Inspired by her efforts, I added a few things (and corrected a few things). Then the 10 of us agreed to offer anyone who's interested the summary transcript as a PDF download.

Here are some of the questions we addressed. They were submitted by the participants, an interesting mix of consultants, corporate marketers and non-profit advocacy professionals.

Questions (see PDF for answers)

- What blog platform to use?

- How do you transition a blog from being a content management system to a more engaging interactive communications format?

- What do you do if you've published an ill-conceived post? How do you take it back??

- How do you handle comments? Moderate? Not allow?

- How do you build readership?

- How do you help non-writers blog?

- How can a non-profit raise money with a blog?

- What should an executive think / do / feel after finishing the book?

- What’s not in the book?

Download an edited PDF transcript of The Corporate Blogging Book Teleconference.

This came in an email today.

Hi Debbie, I was early for a lunch meeting and decided to walk into a bookstore to kill some time. I really had no purpose in the bookstore, so I started to think of some books that I wanted to skim through. Yours was one of them.

I was only going to skim your book, soak up the info, then put it down and head off to my meeting. However, I got so engrossed in its contents, I was unaware of the time. I nearly missed my meeting and immediately jumped up from the lounge chair to go and purchase your book. I just couldn't leave it behind.

What a tremendously beautiful book you've written. It was certainly needed in the market. Every blogging book I've seen focuses on the mechanics of launching a blog. Yours is the first that focuses on the strategies of launching a blog geared to a corporate crowd. I now have a great blogging book to refer to my corporate clients.

Your book also gave me a great outline for a book that I plan to write on corporate podcasting. That's my specialty. I noticed that you only mentioned it as a cousin to blogs, so this gives me an incentive to get the manuscript finished.

Thanks again for writing your book. If I can help you in any way with podcasting, do let me know. You've got a fan.

- Leesa Barnes, podcasting expert and president of Toronto-based Caprica Interactive Marketing 

Note: Leesa tried to post her review to my Amazon page but was told she had to make a purchase for $30 first. First I've heard of that. Kinda obnoxious. She posted her review instead on Toronto's cool Chapters Indigo bookstore site. It should appear there shortly.

Thanks Leesa! 

Order 5 copies of The Corporate Blogging Book on 800-CEO-Read and you can grill me with nitty-gritty questions about corporate and CEO blogging in a *private* teleconference.

Date: Wednesday Sept. 20, 2006
Time: 12 noon to 2 PM Eastern
Ticket to entry: buy 5 copies of my new book

No question is too silly or elementary. Fire away and don’t be shy about what you want to know! Limited to 10 participants so everyone gets plenty of air time.

Ticket to entry?

It’s free. Just email me your 800-CEO-Read receipt. Send it to wordbiz(at)gmail.com. I’ll respond with dial-in instructions. More about the event here.

Hey, thanks to Conference Calls Unlimited for sponsoring The Corporate Blogging Book teleconference. A nice riff from CEO Zane Safrit here.

This is the UK version of the book (yes it has a different cover), published by Piatkus. Now being dispatched (as they say) from Amazon UK!

If you’re in the US, you can find it in your nearest Borders or Barnes & Noble. Or order from Amazon or 800-CEO-Read.

Writes Robin Crumby, Managing Director of Melcrum Publishing Ltd, from London:

“Thought you’d like to know that your book was spotted in Borders in Fulham. You’re famous!”

Well not famous. But… an internationally published author - ?