Today I’ll be running a panel on blogs, RSS, and podcasting at Shop.org’s Annual Summit. My panelists include eHobbies, Ice.com, and SteveSpanglerScience.com.
So few online retailers are blogging, that it’s very easy to get prime-time ink. eHobbies and Ice.com were featured in both the NY Times and USA Today this summer for their foray into blogging.
I’m sure there are other online retailers with blogs and/or RSS feeds besides my panelists. There have been mentions in the media of Bluefly.com and Gourmet Station blogging. There’s also Backcountry Store, Stone Creek Coffee, and Aldo Coffee. As for RSS (that’s not done in as part of a blog), there’s Amazon.com and Audible.com. But who else? Post a comment if you know of any other online retailers doing blogs or RSS — particularly big online retailers.
Why do you think online retailers are so late in the game? Business blogs have been all the rage for well over a year now. My hypothesis is that online retailers can’t accurately predict ROI and that’s the world they have to live in. Every inch of printed catalog space has an ROI associated with it. Every keyword buy in AdWords has an ROI associated with it. I guess it can be pretty scary when the ROI predictor is “I dunno”. Those brave few who do take the leap will be the ones who get written up incessently in the NY Times, USA Today, Business Week, Fortune, etc. Yes, it could be you!
SIGN UP FOR EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY CONTENT 
Hey Stephan. American Girl just launched a blog about Felicity, one of our historical characters. It’s not “Felicity incarnate”–rather, it’s more of an author blog with a twist. One of our editors poses questions Felicity faces (and also dealing with themes/issues that are relevant to girls today) and asks girls to tell us what they think Felicity should do. Here’s the link: http://www.americangirl.com/movie/felicity/world_blog.php
How about:
-Vespa’s customer blogs – http://www.vespausa.com/VespaBlogs/
-Amby Baby – http://www.ambybabyblog.com/
-Stone Creek Coffee – http://sccv3.stonecreekcoffee.com/
…if you need any information about GourmetStation’s blog let me know.
Walmart – http://www.walmartfacts.com/stories/
Hi Mike,
I know we’ve been talking for some months now about American Girl doing a “character blog” for your dolls. I still think it’s a great idea for Felicity and others to be speaking to readers from the past. Nonetheless I’m thrilled to hear that you guys launched! Congrats, and welcome to the blogosphere!