To Turn Your Blog Over To A New Blogger
Update August 31 - Example: Rebecca at the Monster Blog is passing the torch.
A traditional - personal - blog is extremely closely connected to the individual blogger. If the blogger quits, the blog dies. But for many corporate blogs the day will come when the blogger wants to sign off, but where the organization can identify important business motives for the blog to live on.
And since also corporate blogs should be personal to some degree this is a tough challenge.
In time, there will be many examples and experiences to learn from. I wish I could say that I've tried and succeeded. I can't. I've tried and failed. Not totally, but to the extent where readers later told me "Well, it's still good but, I don't know, it's not the same anymore..." and things like that.
The main problem I realized was the risk of underestimating the blogger's level of expertise.
Blogging is learning. If you closely, on a daily basis, keep up with a subject you learn more than you think. What you publish represents just a small portion of your knowledge. Just think of all the stuff you read and choose not to publish or discuss, think of your contacts with readers. Even if your successor memorizes your corporate blog down to the last comma, he or she is way behind you.
This will result in a different focus. Where many blogs over time become more and more qualified, a change of blogger could mean a step back. Where you would have thrown yourself into a detailed discussion on the latest development, your successor may be more inclined to link to a nice overview on the blog's subject (a bit exaggerated, perhaps).
Of course, this doesn't have to be bad. Now and then I notice bloggers that share the journalistic "seen all, heard all, already written, not impressed"-attitude. If you're like that maybe your readers applauds the change...
Any other experinces to learn from?