This list has moved
Note: As of Feb. 4, 2009 this “quoted in” list has moved to a new page.
I’ve been quoted recently in AdWeek,TheStreet.com, USA Today, The Boston Globe and numerous other publications. A sampling below:
The Washington Post
Marketing Moves to the Blogosphere
by Sarah Halzack (Aug. 28, 2008)
Though blogs may not always yield immediate results, they can be part of a “halo effect” that ultimately gives a business a bigger online presence, says Debbie Weil, a corporate blogging consultant and author of The Corporate Blogging Book.
– Quoted in The Washington Post (Aug. 25, 2008)
Investor’s Business Daily
After spending two weeks in China last fall I do not profess to be an authority. However, I did pick up enough to feel I could respond knowledgably to a reporter from IBD who called me about Internet censorship, the Net Nanny and the state of blogging in China. Here’s the story by Doug Tsuruoka published yesterday: In China, Good Blogs And Bad Blogs.
“Weil says curbs on blogs and other media will stay for the foreseeable future. “What Chinese call the Net Nanny or GFW (Great Fire Wall of China) isn’t likely to disappear anytime soon,” Weil said. “What is certain is that censorship will continue to be unpredictable.”
– Investor’s Business Daily (March 7, 2008)
The Washington Post
I led a session on How to Write a Great Business Blog for an event marking the 10th anniversary of the publication of Tom Peters’ now iconic article: The Brand Called You. The Washington Post quoted me in Your Brandwidth as follows:
“If you can write a consistently interesting and informative blog, you brand yourself as someone worth listening to, worth doing business with, worth hiring,” [Debbie Weil] said.
Weil, author of The Corporate Blogging Book, said her publisher contacted her after reading her blog. Blogs help folks “get found.” She said, “It’s a way to control your digital identity.” That’s a growing part of your brand.
– The Washington Post (Nov. 8, 2007)
BusinessWeek
Quoted in BusinessWeek Small Biz special section on Make Some Noise: How Web 2.0 can help you communicate with customers more effectively:
“Nobody cares about your widgets,” says Weil. “People care about what they can do with your widgets or the lifestyle surrounding your widgets.”
– BusinessWeek (August/September 2007)
The Wall Street Journal
Quoted in Blog It and They May Come (August 20, 2007)
“A blog can help you…establish your credibility and expertise, and that is what encourages people to click and buy,” says Debbie Weil, an author and corporate blogging consultant in Washington, D.C. “But it takes time to achieve it. You don’t get instant high search-engine rankings. It’s a fallacy to think you blog and you sell.”
— By Sarah E. Needleman in The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 20, 2007)
The Wall Street Journal
Quoted in Executives Get the Blogging Bug (July 13, 2007)
Done well, “a blog is an extremely effective way of articulating a vision,” says Debbie Weil, a corporate blogging consultant and author of The Corporate Blogging Book. … An unwittingly controversial post can set off an unanticipated fury of replies on the blog and across the Internet. “If you don’t sort of take a deep breath and think about it — if you publish without thinking — you can really make some big mistakes,” Ms. Weil says.
— By Erin White, Joanne Lublin and David Kesmodel in The Wall Street Journal (July 13, 2007)
The L.A. Times
Quoted in CEO postings can be hits or headaches (July 13, 2007)
Their electronic megaphones let the public “pull up the curtain a bit on corporate operations,” observed Debbie Weil, who wrote “The Corporate Blogging Book.” The postings humanize the CEO and tell readers how he or she thinks. “You’re running a big public corporation; people want to know,” Weil said.
— By Molly Selvin and Michelle Quinn in the L.A. Times (July 13, 2007)
San Francisco Chronicle
Quoted in Crossing the Corporate Line
Debbie Weil, who consults with businesses about blogging, said that partisan politics are inappropriate for a corporate blog and that the Google employee who shared her criticism of “Sicko” clearly crossed the line. Policies about what can be posted are critical, she said, as is good editing. “A corporate blog, well done, can have a meaningful conversation with customers and readers, can offer a viewpoint and a whiff of personality of the company that you can’t get otherwise,” said Weil, the author of “The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right.”
— By Verne Kopytoff, San Francisco Chronicle (July 5, 2007)
The L.A. Times
Recommended by Steve Broback in the L.A. Times in Read up on blogs, then start your own (May 16, 2007)
The Wall Street Journal
Quoted in How Blogging Can Help You Get a New Job (April 14, 2007)
“Job seekers who blog increase the odds that a potential employer will find information online that the candidate wants to be seen, says Debbie Weil, a corporate blogging consultant in Washington and the author of The Corporate Blogging Book, which was published last summer.
Everybody has an online identity whether they know it or not, and a blog is the single best way to control it,” she [Debbie] says. “You’re going to be Googled. No one hires anyone or buys anything these days without going online first and doing research.”
— as quoted by reporter Sarah Needleman in The Wall Street Journal (April 14, 2007)
SmartMoney Magazine
Quoted in 10 Things Your Blogger Won’t Tell You (March 2007 issue)
From #6: “Just because my name’s on it doesn’t mean I wrote it.”
“However common it is, “ghost blogging” remains controversial. “It’s a perversion of the real meaning of blogging, which is to put yourself out there,” says Debbie Weil, author of “The Corporate Blogging Book.”
– Daniel Cho (SmartMoney – March 2007)
The Conference Board Review
Reviewed by editor A.J. Vogl in The Conference Board Review Magazine (Jan/Feb 2007 issue).
“This is one case in which a book’s subtitle has got it right. ‘Everything’ sounds hyberbolic, but it’s actually hard to think of anything left out of Weil’s book, which is both an overview of the blogging phenomenon and a manual for bloggers and would-be bloggers.”
– A.J. Vogl
Download a PDF of the full review (see page 68).
U.S. News & World Report
One of the 50 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2007, according to U.S. News, is to Start Your Own Blog.
Blogs can give even non-writers a boost.
“Say you’re in the running for a job at a hedge fund, and there are three candidates, and you happen to have been writing a blog with some interesting thoughts,” says Debbie Weil, author of The Corporate Blogging Book. “You’re going to get more seriously considered.”
– Elizabeth Weiss Green (U.S. News Dec. 17, 2006)
Reuters
Yes, even Santa (make that Santas, plural) blogs, according to Reuters: Blogs give voice to season’s superstar. My take on the article here.
“You have to have a really distinctive voice and personality – and in this case clever writing, I would think – to stand out,” said corporate blogging consultant Debbie Weil, also author of “The Corporate Blogging Book.”
While her clients tend to be real-life CEOs over make-believe ones, Weil said the end result of having a blog remains the same.
– Naomi Kim for Reuters (Dec. 16, 2007)
Belgium’s De Standaard and De Morgen
Two-page Q & A on corporate blogging with reporter Wim De Preter in connection with keynote for NewsEngine PR’s 10th anniversary celebration in Antwerp: “Blog-goeroe Debbie Weil: Blogs give corporations a human face.”
“More and more companies use weblogs as part of their communication and marketing mix. The American Debbie Weil wrote a book on it… ” Cont. (Dec. 8, 2006)
I was also interviewed by Ronald Meeus in De Morgen (PDF of article). More about the articles here.
San Jose Mercury News
Quoted in Michelle Quinn’s column: Executives finding their way to blogosphere (Dec. 3, 2006)
“Readers of CEO blogs want “something authentic and smart and a little bit revealing,” says Debbie Weil, a consultant and author of ‘The Corporate Blogging Book.'”
CNN International.com
Quoted in a new DigitalBiz section on Companies ponder the blog option by Kevin Voigt (Nov. 29, 2006):
“The big elephant in the room for companies when it comes to blogging is fear,” says Debbie Weil, author of “The Corporate Blogging Book” and consultant to CEO bloggers. “They are afraid they’ll lose control of their message. My advice is: Get over it. You have lost control — so you might as well get in there.”
Live interview on Sky News
Author Debbie Weil was interviewed about corporate blogging and the UK edition of her book in Sky News‘ London studio. (Oct. 20, 2006)
“… an assistant led me up to the gleaming blue and red news desk and sat me down next to the two correspondents anchoring the morning show.” More…
Guardian Unlimited
Why CEOs should learn to love the blog by The Guardian’s Business Editor Fiona Walsh. (Nov. 17, 2006)
“Weil believes that, just as no company now could afford to be without a website, the corporate blog is rapidly becoming a necessity. In time, she says, blogs will replace static, brochure-like home pages.”
“Blogs make a company more human,” she says. “They can also be a great recruiting tool.”
“If you want to be seen as a cool place to work, then you need to have a blog. And it’s not just about being cool; it shows that you believe in being open and transparent. Customers also prefer to deal with a company that is not just a faceless entity.” More…
Guardian Unlimited
The Corporate Blogging Book was mentioned in popular political diarist Simon Hoggart’s column. More… (Oct. 14, 2006)
CNN Money
Author Debbie Weil was quoted in Fortune senior writer Marc Gunther’s column: Corporate Blogging: Wal-Mart’s Fumbles (Oct. 18, 2006)
“The lesson’s clear. The best corporate blogs are open, honest and authentic, according to Debbie Weil, a former journalist and Internet marketing consultant who is author of “The Corporate Blogging Book” (Penguin, 2006).”
TypePad’s Book of the Month
Now this is cool. The Corporate Blogging Book was TypePad’s October 2006 book of the month. Listen to the podcast interview with Six Apart general manager Michael Sippey. Read the Q & A with the author.
Web Marketing Today
A thumbs-up review by Ralph F. Wilson in his widely-read e-newsletter on Web marketing. Circulation is over 100,000.
Quoted in AP story on CEO bloggers
Author Debbie Weil was quoted, and The Corporate Blogging Book mentioned, in an AP story about Fortune 500 CEO blogger Jonathan Schwartz that ran in nearly 100 newspapers. The article by AP technology reporter Rachel Konrad was titled: Sun CEO among the few chiefs who blog. The story was also featured on CNN.com.
The reporter wrote:
“Ultimately, a good blog is good writing. Most CEOs are not good writers,” said Debbie Weil, a Washington-based consultant and author of “The Corporate Blogging Book.” “The packaging and controlling of the corporate message has always been done for them, so often they don’t realize that writing well is hard work and takes time and thought and practice,” said Weil.
– AP article by Rachel Konrad (Sept. 16, 2006)
Backstory on the AP article here.
The New York Times
Author Debbie Weil was quoted in the Sunday New York Times Business section on the topic of CEO blogging in Randy Stross’s Digital Domain column: All the Internet’s a Stage. Why Don’t CEOs Use It?
Ms. Weil, the author, spoke with me last week about the reluctance of Fortune 500 executives to share their thoughts on a public blog, and could find no acceptable excuse for their silence. “They should come down from the mountain and communicate in their own words — without handlers,” Ms. Weil said. “For what they’re paid, is that too much to ask?” – Randall Stross in The New York Times (July 30, 2006)
Toronto Globe and Mail
The Corporate Blogging Book got a nice review in the Toronto Globe and Mail: Blogging: One way for firms to channel their inner publicity. (Oct. 11, 2006)
Recommended by BtoB Magazine
The Corporate Blogging Book was recommended by Ellis Booker, editor of BtoB Magazine, in his annual round-up of best marketing books.
“Online marketing consultant Weil explores all aspects of corporate blogging, talking directly to the “skeptical or fearful executive.” (Aug. 14, 2006)
“Smart, witty and accessible” says Kirkus Reports
“It’s not too late to get in on the blogging craze, says Weil… She makes a convincing case for the corporate blog, offering 13 potential functions, including marketing strategy, community-builder, branding tool and customer-relations improvement.”
“An unusually thorough appendix includes recommended reading, blogging guidelines, a helpful glossary of blogging and internet terms and the top five design resources to build into your blog. Smart, witty and accessible.” – Kirkus Reports
“A clear and concise guide”
The too clever In Bubble Wrap (the offbeat cousin of 800-CEO-Read) riffs on The Corporate Blogging Book… “Without being at all abrasive or know-it-all sounding, TCBB answers specific questions and becomes a clear and concise guide for starting, and running, a GREAT blog.”
Also quoted in…
Author Debbie Weil has also been quoted in Fortune, Entrepreneur, Inc., USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, Toronto Globe & Mail and numerous other publications. More here…
Bloggers are saying…
“The Best Business Blogging Book”
Brand Autopsy’s John Moore (author of Tribal Knowledge) calls it The Best Business Blogging Book: “Debbie’s book is the best of the bunch because it’s actionable. She wastes little space in telling stories about blogging and instead, shares practical insight and guidance on all the relevant issues businesses face when deciding how, when, where, and why to blog.”
“Buy The Corporate Blogging Book”
Andy Bourland writes: “I’ve known Debbie for a long time, harking back to when she wrote for us at ClickZ, so it was good to see an old pal doing well and getting published… I especially enjoyed the chapter where she took on the “fear of blogging” issue (”Will there be controversy? Will I get fired for what I say on my blog?”) head on. She recommends, to borrow a phrase from another book, you “feel the fear and do it anyway”. Don’t let fear get in the way of your opening up communications and conversation with your customers via this powerful medium.”
“The Best New Blog Book”
Don Dunnington writes on the Water and Wastewater blog: “If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to start blogging about your business, (CEO blog guru) Debbie Weil just eliminated every delaying tactic you’ve ever thought of (and maybe some you hadn’t gotten around to yet).”
“A good super quick read for any CEO or senior executive”
Return Path CEO blogger Matt Blumberg writes : “Weil’s writing style is great and very informal (blog-like, in fact)… Chapter 8 includes a great Cliff’s Notes guide to web 2.0 technologies — RSS, podcasting, wikis, tagging — which is useful if you still Feel Like a Luddite about those things.”
“Debbie Weil’s new book: Steal it, borrow it, get it”
Dianna Huff in MarCom Writer Blog: “If you work in a corporation and you think your company should be blogging, GET THIS BOOK. It will answer all your questions. Debbie’s style is breezy, conversational, and easy to read. I love it when I find a great business book — this one is definitely going on my marketing reference shelf.”
“A good one for you executive types who are afraid”
Chuck Zimmerman writes on AgWired : “I think this is a good one for you executive types who are afraid, skeptical or think you don’t have time to blog and therefore it’s not a good thing for your company… Debbie writes clearly and to the point and it’s an easy read.”
“A great how-to on corporate blogging”
Stephan Spencer of NetConcepts writes: “Debbie Weil’s excellent The Corporate Blogging Book is out. I’ve got my copy in hand and I have to say I’m impressed. It’s a rich source of practical info for those thinking about blogging for business and for those already blogging and wanting to do it better.”
“This is not a fad”
Elana Centor writes on BlogHer: “Saying she wanted to write the “uncool” blogging book, blogging consultant Debbie Weil set out to write a “how-to” book for corporations who have heard about the power of blogs but are not sure how it fits into their business model.” Listen to Elana’s podcast interview with Debbie.
“A new benchmark”
Des Walsh writes: “From what I’ve read and the rest I’ve skimmed, I have no problem in recommending this to anyone in business, big or small. A new benchmark.”
“I give this book five stars”
Joanne Lozar Glenn on mentor me watercooler: “The text is extremely accessible and personable – exactly the kind of model to use for putting a face on a megacorporation… To my surprise and delight, I give this book five stars.”
“An excellent guide”
TopRank’s Lee Odden writes in WebProNews: “…an excellent guide to companies looking to find their place in the blogosphere. Chapters range from ‘Top Twenty Questions About Corporate Blogging’ to ‘Should the CEO Blog?’.”
“Her insights are particularly valuable for people in larger organizations.”
David Meerman Scott writes: “Debbie Weil has produced the perfect how-to. I consider myself an advanced blogger (two years of dedicated blogging) yet I still learned a great deal from the book…Buy a copy of her book for your boss who ‘just doesn’t get it.'”
“If you’re in the hard core corporate environment, Debbie’s book is for you”
Tris Hussey of Qumana writes: “Debbie’s book ties very nicely into the corporate mentality. She addresses the issues and doesn’t get into much technology. She quotes from respected business bloggers, people in the trenches who can say – yeah I did it and it worked, and has clear tips that you can use to talk to your boss, etc.” Tris also blogs about the book’s release day on A View from the Isle . (Thanks Tris!)
“Funny, smart… “
Writes Diva Marketing’s Toby Bloomberg: “Although I’ve only read a few pages my first impressions were – clean (style), funny, smart, so very Debbie! Looking forward to digging into it.”
“I read it through to the last word and loved it”
Writes Guillaume du Gardier in PR Thoughts “Let me tell you that my first impressions are very very good, it seems like this book is the perfect guide for corporate blogging and to get a full overview of the question, Debbie you made it great.” – Guillaume is Director of Online Communications, Edelman – Europe
“I read an early copy of the book and it’s excellent.”
Writes Jackie Huba in Church of the Customer: “If CEOs blogged, they would save considerable time on hundreds of weekly emails that ask roughly the same types of questions. That’s part of Debbie Weil’s thesis in The Corporate Blogging Book. “Why not do it more efficiently?” she writes. “Instead of a one-to-one message, why not a communication from one to many thousands?” She describes the pro’s and con’s of corporate blogging with plenty o’ pointers on how to do it well and not screw up. I read an early copy of the book and it’s excellent.”
“5 stars out of 5”
Jill Konrath gives it 5 stars out of 5: “Is blogging worth it? Since I’ve been blogging for several years now, I get asked that question all the time. My answer is a resounding yes. With the help of corporate blogging expert Debbie Weil, I’ve learned how to leverage my expertise to establish a thought leadership position in the market. “The book concludes with an information-rich, 40+ page bonus resource section that’s excellent. My rating: 5 stars out of 5.”
“A trunkload of practical tips”
Frank de Kleine, who works in the marketing and communications department of Hanze University in Groningen, The Netherlands, writes in Dutch and then provides a translation: “Debbie Weil explains in a clear (bloggy-stylish) way how companies – Fortune 500 as well as small ones – can use blogs as a strategic communications channel. While doing this, she gives you a trunkload of practical tips, useful for any (future) blogger, corporate or not.”
“Her advice? Just do it”
Writes Ken Yarmosh on Corante: “Debbie Weil is standing up on a chair at the 4th Estate Grille (with her shoes off), talking about her new book. She’s surrounded by a captive audience of what appear to be future bloggers. A couple of those she interviewed for the book are standing next to her. “Her advice about blogging, ‘just do it’ (she stole that one from Nike). Her point though is that it’s more important to get started then to have every policy and strategy detail perfect.”
Writes Andy Wibbels: “…her book is a fantastic ‘What’s next?’ after my book for companies wanting to use blogs both inside and outside the organization.”
“Conversational, absorbing, and sharp”
Writes Meryl Evans: “Those familiar with Weil’s style through her blog and speeches will encounter the same style in the book: honest, straightforward, conversational, absorbing, and sharp. She answers every possible question that an executive or manager has about blogging including return on investment, making the business case for blogging, and how to overcome the common fears and doubts about blogging.” Meryl’s official review of The Corporate Blogging Book is here.
“A great book… “
CEO blogger Jim Estill (of SYNNEX Canada) writes: “Debbie is not only an advocate but she explains the pros and cons of corporate blogs.” Estill quotes Halley Suitt‘s quote from the book: “The word PR will be gone; the word blog will be gone. Your employees will be your ad agency and your customers will be your back-up ad agency.”
Michael McLaughlin’s Management Consulting News
“If you want a crash course in corporate (as opposed to personal) blogging, have a look at Debbie Weil’s new book, The Corporate Blogging Book. Weil’s work is original, thoughtful, and, most importantly, practical.Whether you’re thinking about implementing your own blog, or helping clients navigate the ins and outs of blogging, Weil’s book will be a handy reference.” – Mike is co-author of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants. As reviewed in Management Consulting News (August 2006)
More Reviews
Kirkus Reports
It’s not too late to get in on the blogging craze, says Weil. The author, a popular speaker, marketing consultant and award-winning e-newsletter publisher, presents a usable guide to accessing the new “bottom-up business ecosystem.” Weil demystifies blogging, answering questions like, “Why do we need a blog?”; “How will a blog be useful to our business?”; “How much time does it take to write and maintain?”; “Who in our company should write it?” She makes a convincing case for the corporate blog, offering 13 potential functions, including marketing strategy, community-builder, branding tool and customer-relations improvement. Emphasizing the power of the blog as a communication strategy, Weil focuses on how blogging can help you speak more effectively and honestly with customers and employees. Because a blog must first and foremost attract and retain an audience, the author includes exercises and tips to help find your voice and engage readers, encouraging new bloggers to write from the heart, to take risks and to be honest. An unusually thorough appendix includes recommended reading, blogging guidelines, a helpful glossary of blogging and internet terms and the top five design resources to build into your blog. Smart, witty and accessible. Kirkus Reports
Library Journal
Weil, Debbie. The Corporate Blogging Book. Penguin Portfolio. August 2006. 216p. index. ISBN 1-59184-125-9. $23.95. BUS Flynn, Nancy. Blog Rules. AMACOM Books. July 2006. index. ISBN 0-8144-7355-5. $19.95 BUS The Corporate Blogging Book is a freewheeling excursion into the world of blogs. Written informally, much like the blogs themselves, Weil (WordBiz Report) interweaves stories of blogging executives with hints and tips to either start a blog, if you are the executive, or help convince the executive to start blogging. She discusses the problems and pitfalls of corporate blogging and even has practical advice for the most dreaded fear that CEOs have about blogging, loss of control. (The advice? “Get over it.”) She includes discussions of Wikis and podcasting, as well as legal resources and has some sample policies and guidelines. For those not up on the language of blogs, she includes a glossary and a list of recommended readings. The bottom line on Corporate Blogging Book can be summed up by the statement that “the essence of blogging is being real, and real isn’t necessarily perfect.” Blog Rules is, on the other hand, a handbook for CEOs that are fearful of blogging. True to the book’s name, Flynn (Instant Messaging Rules) includes “36 blog rules to keep you out of court.” This is a fairly negative look at blogs from a defensive point of view, mentioning along the way, rules, risks and attacks. The impression one gets from this book is if you must have a blog, let the lawyers and PR people take care of it. The statement “Don’t let the Blogosphere bully you” exemplifies the bottom line on Blog Rules. Larger business collections should purchase both, smaller collections should just purchase Weil’s book. —Robert Harbison, Western Kentucky Univ. Lib., Bowling Green