Recent Articles | Finishing the Form Process Perhaps my last post on the Microsoft acquisition of Yahoo was premature. It seems like Yahoos board is determined to reject that offer and hope for something sweeter. If Microsoft doesnt sweeten the deal... eBay Buyers Love Saving Money A study at the University of Maryland of eBay buyer activity found those buyers gain satisfaction out of spending less than they thought they might on auctions. Sellers, well, they probably arent that ecstatic over it. More Payment Options Increase Online Sales Three out of 10 major online retailers offered new payment methods as an additional option to credit cards in December 2007, according to a study from Brulant. That is an increase of 24 percent of major online... Green Monday Biggest Online Spending Day Online Retail Sales Increased 19%. Early indications reveal that retailers had a small 2.4 percent sales growth this holiday season according to MasterCard SpendingPulse. In contrast SpendingPulse figures... | | 03.10.08 Walmart's The Checkout Blog By Lisa McNeill I'm the first to admit that I have a track record of bashing Walmart's previous social media efforts on this blog, but I'd like to take a few minutes to give my review on Walmart's latest social media effort, the checkoutblog.com. Even though I visited the site with low expectations, I was shocked to find out that it seems that Walmart has wised up to some of the basic social media rules (at least some of them). Here's a recap of why I think this blog just might work: The blog uses Walmart's internal resources. Using a blog team of 9 Wal-mart "higher level" product buyers, the blog covers the following categories of Gadgets, Gaming, Lawn & Garden, Movies, and Sustainability. The blog is basically for these employees to start a discussion on new products and create hype over products sold or released at Wal-Mart. Since finding internal resources for blogging is always difficult, this group approach will ensure the blog will be updated and maintained on an ongoing basis. The blog recognizes the rules of social media. In the "about" section, Scobel's Corporate Webblog Manefesto is noted. Additionally, the blog has added a very reasonable and open blog comment policy (considering what Wal-mart faces in negative blog reactions). Basically the policy notes posts are clean, on topic, and only first comments from a user have to be approved. The blog has personality. Reading the author bios of the checkoutblog further confirmed that it is written by real people with interesting personalities. While corporate branding is wrapped around the site, the employees are the main focus. This is a smart move for Wal-mart in battling negative perceptions. After all, it is easier to hate a corporation than to hate a group of employees that are just doing their job. Comments About the Author: As a Social Media Strategist for Ignite Social Media, Lisa McNeill outlines social media tactics and develops social media campaigns to help companies reach customers and build brand advocates. Her expertise in project management and marketing additionally guides the execution of these campaigns. |
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