Model for Viability
In determining a blog for business use, the acronym RUBRIC (Figure 1) reflects the six tests that make up the model for the blog’s viability. RUBRIC stands for Reliability, Usability, Behavior, Reflection, Information, and Creativity.
Reliability
At the core of the RUBRIC model is reliability. When reliability ceases to exist, the blog, however aesthetically gratifying it may be, will not be useful in a business context. Reliable sources include C-level executives, industry experts and strategists, and well-respected thinkers in the field.
Usability
A reliable blog can only be effective if intuitively navigable by its target audience. The second layer of this model is “ease of use.” A graphic, table, text, and other navigation tools should be appropriately placed to reflect the mission, vision, and goal of the blog. Any decision on pop-up windows, links to other sites, shopping carts, advertisements, font sizes, colors, backgrounds, audio, and use of multimedia software like Flash, should thematically alignment with the business directives of the blog.
Behavior
A layer above “ease of navigation” is the “appropriateness” of the blog. A blog written in the first person can reflect accessibility to the writer while a scholarly written blog shows an authority in the field. There can be many perceptions of blogs and a survey should be conducted to determine if the audience’s perception aligns with the corporate culture intended by the blog developers. When this behavior is inconsistent across all blog pages and/or posting entries, then the “idea” of the blog crumbles.
Reflection
It is important for a blog developer to be flexible in their product. When a poll of the target audience results in confused readers or requests made for increased updates to the blog, for example, the developers should be immediate in their response. “Reflection” wraps the three other layers of this model as it is in this stage where there may be constant flux due to the many external factors affecting the blog’s content, appearance, and navigation. Another example would be a merger by the blog sponsor resulting in combining two or more seemingly disparate blogs into a cohesive website. In as much as the blog is updated frequently, so does the design to reflect the state of the business as well as the needs of the audience.
Information
The blog information should always be current and relevant. The main concept of a blog is its ability to be practically instantaneous in its postings. When this inherent blog characteristic fails, the website as a whole becomes ineffective. The sources of information can be very reliable but if the information is not current, audiences do not to use this blog as a reference.
Creativity
The overall layer that surrounds this RUBRIC model is the blog’s ability to shine above the rest. The creativity of a blog comes through in the form of the “spirit” of the developers and its writers. The uniqueness of a blog provides a lasting imprint to its readers. When readers use a blog’s links to leave the blog without returning, then the site’s “hook” is lost. When the blog is noted for its overall refined state, then its creativity edge is engaged.
This six-component blog-model-for-viability to corporate use can be utilized in the form of a checklist, discussion points with developers and project supporters, audience surveys as well as focus group topics. It is important for developers to have a clear understanding of their corporate mission to have a direct alignment with the blog being developed.
In determining a blog for business use, the acronym RUBRIC (Figure 1) reflects the six tests that make up the model for the blog’s viability. RUBRIC stands for Reliability, Usability, Behavior, Reflection, Information, and Creativity.
Reliability
At the core of the RUBRIC model is reliability. When reliability ceases to exist, the blog, however aesthetically gratifying it may be, will not be useful in a business context. Reliable sources include C-level executives, industry experts and strategists, and well-respected thinkers in the field.
Usability
A reliable blog can only be effective if intuitively navigable by its target audience. The second layer of this model is “ease of use.” A graphic, table, text, and other navigation tools should be appropriately placed to reflect the mission, vision, and goal of the blog. Any decision on pop-up windows, links to other sites, shopping carts, advertisements, font sizes, colors, backgrounds, audio, and use of multimedia software like Flash, should thematically alignment with the business directives of the blog.
Behavior
A layer above “ease of navigation” is the “appropriateness” of the blog. A blog written in the first person can reflect accessibility to the writer while a scholarly written blog shows an authority in the field. There can be many perceptions of blogs and a survey should be conducted to determine if the audience’s perception aligns with the corporate culture intended by the blog developers. When this behavior is inconsistent across all blog pages and/or posting entries, then the “idea” of the blog crumbles.
Reflection
It is important for a blog developer to be flexible in their product. When a poll of the target audience results in confused readers or requests made for increased updates to the blog, for example, the developers should be immediate in their response. “Reflection” wraps the three other layers of this model as it is in this stage where there may be constant flux due to the many external factors affecting the blog’s content, appearance, and navigation. Another example would be a merger by the blog sponsor resulting in combining two or more seemingly disparate blogs into a cohesive website. In as much as the blog is updated frequently, so does the design to reflect the state of the business as well as the needs of the audience.
Information
The blog information should always be current and relevant. The main concept of a blog is its ability to be practically instantaneous in its postings. When this inherent blog characteristic fails, the website as a whole becomes ineffective. The sources of information can be very reliable but if the information is not current, audiences do not to use this blog as a reference.
Creativity
The overall layer that surrounds this RUBRIC model is the blog’s ability to shine above the rest. The creativity of a blog comes through in the form of the “spirit” of the developers and its writers. The uniqueness of a blog provides a lasting imprint to its readers. When readers use a blog’s links to leave the blog without returning, then the site’s “hook” is lost. When the blog is noted for its overall refined state, then its creativity edge is engaged.
This six-component blog-model-for-viability to corporate use can be utilized in the form of a checklist, discussion points with developers and project supporters, audience surveys as well as focus group topics. It is important for developers to have a clear understanding of their corporate mission to have a direct alignment with the blog being developed.
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