Content
What will you write about? Well, you're a writer. You should be able to think of something! Seriously though, once you get started, you'll probably have plenty of user questions to address. In the beginning, though, you'll have to come up with your own content. Posts about lesser known features of your product are a great idea, as well as short interviews with members of the design team, interviews with power users, and humorous pieces on customers who are using your product for a novel purpose, such as lawn mowers for a charity lawnmower race.
Blog posts are generally short, around 300-500 words. So it shouldn't take you long to develop a few posts that will engage, entertain, and inform your readers.
How often should you post? That's up to you. The most important thing is to post regularly. Once a week is fine, even twice a week is alright. Posting more than once a day can annoy your readers unless you have really useful information every time.
Make your writing style more informal and conversational than you're used to in your other writing. Don't cut and paste sections of a user's manual and call it a blog post. You'll want to give readers the impression that you're talking face to face with them. And don't forget to encourage them to participate. Ask them questions about the products and their experiences with them. Invite them to leave comments and ask questions.
How candid should you be? Do you want to air your Company's dirty laundry? Do you want the world to know that there's a significant bug in your interface and your company hasn't figured out how to solve it yet? The answers to these questions will vary by company, and unless you're the company, you won't decide on them alone (or at all). One thing to keep in mind, though, about the Web, is that openness is fast becoming a standard. It may be impossible to prevent information from getting out without your company's permission, and with networking applications like Twitter, news travels quickly. If you discover a problem, your best course may lie in being the first to tell the world about the bug. Instead of looking like you have something to hide, you'll look like a stand up company for owning up to your mistakes.
Try blogging. It can be a great way to promote your Company and products, stay in touch with users, and solve their problems. The time is coming when blogging may become a flagship element of online product help.
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