November 08, 2006

Management Strategies: 18 Tips to Manage Your Blog Network

By Sagar Satapathy, Manager, BizNicheMedia

In the increasingly competitive blogosphere, it has become clear to us at BizNicheMedia that one of the keys to our, and for that matter any network's long term success, is good management.

Starting a blog network may not be difficult, but making it successful in the blogosphere is a daunting task.

While everyone seems to cite as keys to success things like, having and retaining top talent, picking the right blog topics, and creating a strong marketing campaign, what people often forget, is that without good management none of these things can happen.

Managing a blog network like BizNicheMedia is in some ways just like managing any other brick and mortar corporation.  But in a few key points it is radically different than almost any other business model.  It is this combination of the old and the new which frustrates and confuses so many new managers in this industry. I certainly don't claim to be the preeminent expert on the topic, but I do think that the tips I provide in this article will give you a good idea of what it takes to successfully manage the staff at a blog network...

1. Find Your Writing Staff. Labor costs are the greatest expense for any blog network.  Consequently, cost savings in this area is the difference between success and failure for most networks.  With wages in third world countries at 50% American rates or below, the appeal of places like India, with a very educated english-speaking populace, is clear. Telling you why network managers want to go offshore is the easy part. What's not so easy, is doing it successfully.

2. Place an Ad. One of the easiest ways to find a TON of applicants is through ad agencies.  My favorites are PlacementIndia and FreelanceIndia. They have a giant database of young, talented writers based in India. Another good place to search for writers (if you value quality over price) is at daily periodicals for smaller cities.  Most local papers in India have a website, and many of these staff writers make their email address available.  With these writers you know the quality you're getting, because you can read it ahead of time.  You should note, however, that there will be some skepticism and hesitancy from the writers you try to poach simply because you are an online media outlet.

3. Spread a Wide Net with Recruiting.  If you have a physical presence in the recruiting country (not a bad idea, you can rent a small office for $600 a month in most major Indian cities) recruiting will not be a problem.  If you want to start on a smaller scale, however, and do everything online, you will need to be a bit more creative in your recruiting.  Think about it, you are going to hire people you have never seen and won’t get a chance to meet them in future.

While recruiting writers for BizNicheMedia, I adopted a two-tier recruitment process. First, I short-listed candidates (I placed online ads at places like freelance india, and bought a print media ad in a couple of local papers) based on their qualifications, experience and skill set. I received 100-odd applications out of which 20 were short-listed. I asked all the short-listed candidates to write an article on a given topic, which they did. Based on the quality of the content, I selected 5 candidates for the final round.

3. Interview through Live Chat: The final round of selection process is the interview with the selected candidates to judge whether they are eligible to be recruited. A telephonic interview may not be a viable option if you are hiring offshore, so I recommend using a live chat through Yahoo/MSN messenger. I went ahead with it during the selection process. It was completely successful, as it gave me enough time to know the candidates and also made them comfortable while chatting. Finally, I managed to recruit two talented writers and the entire selection process was spread over only three days.

4. Be specific about your requirements. Keep in mind that writers are inherently skeptical about your business model.  People unfamiliar with online businesses invariably think we are all scamming and are going to flop within a few months.  So, one of your keys should be to always be upfront with the individuals you are recruiting.  Make sure they know ahead of time exactly what they will be doing and what they are contracting to.  They should be aware of your exact terms and conditions before joining your network. If they are satisfied with the pay structure, nature of the job and work schedule, then you can go ahead and make them part of your writing staff.

5. Ensure Good Internet Connections. Almost every Indian has access to the internet. But if you are like us, it will be vital that your writing staff have almost around the clock access.  In many neighborhoods in India, there are rolling power cuts and very spotty internet access.  Before you take anyone on to staff, make sure that they will be able to reliably sign in to meet last minute assignments.

6. Plagiarism should not be tolerated. Plagiarism is a major offense in the United States, but it does not carry the same stigma throughout the world.  As a result, you need to make sure your staff understands that copyright infringement will never be tolerated.  In addition to legal issues, plagerism also poses some problems for recruiting.  Our potential employees live all over the world, and as a result it is difficult to know whether they write the sample articles we request of them in their initial interview on their own or copy from any other sources.

As a quick and easy solution, you should install anti-plagiarism software on your PC. That will help you to check the plagiarism content in the sample articles. I have done that and to my utter shock and surprise, two candidates were found plagiarizing the entire content from websites. They did not even write a single sentence on their own.

7. Recognize the efforts of your staff and reward them. People always want recognition for their good work. Accolades motivate all of us. I have certainly experienced this from both ends during my decade-long stint with the online writing industry.  So what that means in a practical sense, is that you need to provide feedback which emphasizes the positives as well as the negatives of any employees work. Our feedback mechanism is broad and clear. We judge our writers on 17 parameters. They receive separate points on each parameter. In these reviews we try to be as honest and fair as possible, that means discussing the good things that a writer is doing, as well as the things that need to be improved. It has helped them greatly to improve the quality of their blog posts.

At BizNicheMedia we have also instituted an “Article of the Week” contest which is aimed at rewarding our writers. Every week, we select the best article across the network and reward its writer with a special prize. Our main aim is to recognize the efforts put by our writers and increase friendly competition, which ultimately results in high quality articles across the network.

8. Learn more about cultural differences. This is a very sensitive issue for the employers who belong to the Western world. There is a vast difference between Western culture and Indian culture. Lack of knowledge about the culture of your writers' countries may put you in an embarrassing situation that needs to be avoided. Most Indians are emotional by nature and they get hurt in small matters (I am writing this as an Indian). Americans by contrast are notoriously direct in discussions and negotiations (Rich admits this openly). Working together, we make an effort never to be too harsh in our criticism of another individual within the company while at the same time conveying the message.

9. Be a part of their Celebrations. Try to be updated about the festivals and events that are significant from employees’ perspectives. Holidays and important events in an individuals life are an opportunity for you, the manager, to develop a sense of community celebration. That means being aware of major holidays, not refusing employees a break when they need them on festivals.

For example, a central event with which you should be familiar, is Diwali. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Light, is celebrated across India with much fanfare on a varying date (usually in October/November). On this occasion, employers typically give gifts and a festival bonus to their employees. This tradition goes WAY beyond the American notion of a Christmas bonus, and it should be respected. Indians regard the holiday as a sign that their employer appreciates the work that they do and that they are celebrating in the future of the company. At BizNicheMedia, we made a special effort to show our appreciation for those staff members who are on the regular payroll.

10. Be Methodical in Dealings with Staff. Always keep in mind your own personal character and that of your writing staff in all communications.  Your writing staff members are first and foremost freelance writers, which means they love writing freedom above all else. I am surprised of all the horror stories by writers of managers who have attempted to restrict their writing down to the most minute detail.  Long-term, this is not a good management strategy.

Keep in mind, that if a staff member decides to leave the company suddenly, you will be in danger of losing the service of a well-experienced professional who has a good understanding of your process requirements. Recruiting new writers and training them to bring at par with others may take longer than expected and you will have to compromise on both quality and productivity.

Often, the only thing writers are looking for is the same respect that you would expect yourself.  So be polite while pointing towards any mistake committed by your writers. Try to appreciate them for some other good work so that you can maintain a proper balance between criticism and appreciation.

11. Firing your employees is a sensitive issue. Firing individuals is always tough, and even tougher when the individual has been cordial and the quality of their work good.  But when the day comes that you must, list the employees achievements and appreciate them for the hard work they have done for your company. If you can, you should also make an effort to find other positions for those members of your staff that you will have to let go.  The writer will appreciate the effort, and since they are leaving on good terms, this opens the opportunity that you could re-hire the individual should your circumstances later change.

12. Time arrangement is very important, as it is related to the productivity of your network. Make sure that your writers are flexible to work during the odd hours when the need arises. Your blog network must be nimble to be successful, and that means being able to call on at least some of your staff to complete last-minute projects. 

That said, when time is not of the essence, make sure to respect the choice your staff members have made by 'going freelance' and try to offer them sufficient time to complete the work and to maintain a work/life balance.

Another issue to keep in mind is the ever-present problem of time differences.  India is approximately 10 1/2 hours different than US time. That means that you and your staff will have to occassionally work unconventional hours to ensure that a good conversation can take place.

13. Do you have competitive pay structure for your writers? The attrition rate is high in India primarily due to wide variances in pay structure. While managing your writing talent, you must make an analysis on the pay structure in the current market scenario. You pay structure must be competitive to lure your writers and retain them for a longer period. If you budget allows, you can go for an annual appraisal and you can hike the pay of the employees whose performance index is very high. At BizNicheMedia we follow an annual market price analysis process, which we believe allows us to remain competitive in our wages.

14. Treat your writers as regular employees. Don’t treat your writers as contractual employees. Treat them as regular employees, which they are. If you hope for the network to really take off, you will need to foster a sense of teamwork and mutual interest among your staff.  If everyone is just looking out for themselves, you will constantly be facing problems.  While your task of creating a sense of teamwork among individuals who have never met isn't easy, it isn't impossible either.

15. Choose the right payment option. Generally, Indian writers prefer to receive payments through PayPal or via wire transfer. PayPal is the best option if your writers are not concerned about the delay. It normally takes three weeks for a PayPal check to arrive in India. If speed is of the essence, you can arrange for wire transfers through Remit2India.com or through your bank provider.  The fees are usually $3-5 per transfer for these.

16. Stay on Good Terms. Don’t let the communication gap affect the performance of your network, which has become a common phenomenon. Develop a cordial relationship with your writers and be friendly with them. Friendship is a difficult thing to maintain with those you have never met, but it can be done.  With a sense of friendship, people are willing to put in extra time and effort that they wouldn't otherwise consider doing.

17. Respect their Social Obligations. This is another important aspect of managing your blog network. Your writers may have some social obligations such as marriage, baby’s birth, illness or sudden demise of a family member. If any of your employees is planning to tie the knot, then he/she may need a break for at least 12/15 days. Many rituals are performed in India during a marriage ceremony and the whole affair takes some days. You will have to develop some contingency plans to fill up the vacuum and let your employee to perform his/her social responsibilities without any stress. Similarly, in case of a sudden demise in the family, your writers may seek a few days’ leave because they will go through a series of rituals. In addition, mourning at home won’t let them to work peacefully.

18. Be in touch with some contract writers. There may be some emergency situations, when you will need the contract writers to fill the vacuum. They can be a part of your contingency plan. From my past experience, I can say that this is a very good alternative. Keeping a strong relationship with a few good contract writers can allow you to start up new projects quickly as well as protect your network if you suddenly lose a central writer.

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November 8, 2006 in Business Issues | Permalink


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