One Blog Says Blogs Can’t Be Trusted

I ran across a very interesting piece at Forrester Research last week, thanks to an article by Josh Bernoff in the American Marketing Association‘s Marketing News of May 15. He reported on research that found blogs were the least trusted source of information among consumers.

Guess I should sign off now. But, wait, there’s more.

One out of six consumers say they trust company blogs. These same people are generally more trusting of all media. Making them what? Gullible? Prescient?

One should really read Berhoff’s Groundswell blog for the full story, but the Reader’s Digest version (did I just date myself?) is that blogs that are entirely company information-oriented to a self-serving level (the reasons our dishwasher pellets simply work better and are environmentally pure) provoke a cynical mistrust in most consumers. Maybe that’s to be expected.

Berhoff does report that there are very good ways to make a blog more trustworthy:

1. Cover customer problems.
2. Reach and incite comments from fans.
3. Explore core community issues…the community of readers and consumers.
4. Tout your celebrity (that’s why I blog!).
5. Showcase your employees (as authors and heros).
6. Expand your content and channel, if you’re a medium.
7. Have a voice in the conversation that’s already about you and your interests.

Why do you blog? What blogs do you trust?