Weil, Debbie

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Weil, Debbie

PERSONAL:

Children: three. Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1974; University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.A., 1976; Georgetown University, M.B. A., 1998.

ADDRESSES:

Office—WordBiz.com, Inc., 3601 Newark St. N.W., Washington, DC 20016. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Jonesboro News-Daily, Jonesboro, GA, reporter, 1978-79; Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, GA, staff feature writer, 1980-82; Cox Newspapers Washington Bureau, Washington, DC, national reporter, 1982-84; American University, School of Communication, Washington, DC, adjunct professor, 1986-90; Roll Call, Washington, DC, policy editor, 1990-92; Network Solutions, Inc., Web content marketing manager, 1998-2000; WordBiz.com, Washington, DC, founder and president, 2000—. Marketing consultant, 1998-2000. Cofounder, DC Web Women (online community), 1995; board member, Community Council for the Homeless, and Global Community Service Foundation. Former trustee, Milton Academy, Milton, MA.

WRITINGS:

The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right, Portfolio (New York, NY), 2006.

Columnist, ClickZ.com; regular contributor, MarketingProfs.com.

SIDELIGHTS:

In The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right, author and consultant Debbie Weil explains how blogging can be an important part of a company's communication with the general public, the media, its customers, its employees, and its stockholders. Because they are ubiquitous and can be created by anyone, blogs are perceived as more "honest" and "open," Weil states in her book, and as a result they are now a vital part of the corporate communications toolkit. Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, writing in his Web Marketing Today Free Weekly review, noted that some corporate executives fear blogs because they believe that they can spin out of control, but Weil forcefully addresses this point. She contends that with no blog in place, company leadership actually risks losing control of their brand, noting, "Since customers will complain whether you like it or not, it's better for you to give them a platform on your own site, a corporate blog where you can regularly take the pulse of customer needs and where complaints can receive candid company responses." Writing in Booklist, Keir Graff said of the book, "Short and sweet, this is … enthusiastic and personably written … and is … appropriate for the corporate crowd."