eBay Blog Reivew

This is a bit off topic, but I had to review a Fortune 500 blog as an assignment for my Advanced PR Writing class.

The eBay Developers Program blog lacks the interactivity that makes a blog truly successful. There is no space for readers to comment making it simply a place for the company to publish news on its latest developments.

The layout of the blog is simply unimpressive. It is visually boring, and the only pictures present are simple clipart images. The blog also fails to describe its mission, its audience and its authors making it lack credibility.

I rate this blog: Poor.

On a scale of 1-10:

Ease of Finding: 5 – I typed “eBay blog” into Google and the developer’s blog did not come up. I checked on a bunch of other “eBay blogs,” but could not find a link to the developer program blog. Finally, after typing eBay company blog I came across eBay’s “The Chatter”—its blog about the company and the community. There, I found a link to the eBay Developers Program Blog.

Frequency: 6 – The eBay Developers Program Blog posts pretty inconsistently. Certain days, there may be three posts and then there will be a four-day pause where there are no new blog posts.

Engaging Writing: 7 – The style of writing changes from post to post. Some posts are purely informational with links to other sites. Others are well-written with more of a personal voice. I like the blog’s use of bullet points.

Relevant: 4 – It is unclear whom the blog is trying to reach. There is no information about the blog or who writes it.

Focused: 7 – It is to my understanding that the eBay Developers Program Blog is tech-focused. The blog updates readers on new advancements within the company’s technical realm and changes within the infrastructure of the system.

Honest: 9 – To the best of my knowledge, the blog presents accurate information.

Interactive: 1 – There is no ability to interact with the authors of this blog because there is no commenting section.

Responsive: 1 – There is nothing for the company to respond to because there is no way for people to have a dialogue within the blog.

The eBay Developers Program Blog received a total of 40 out of 80 possible points. I think it would be wise for eBay to reevaluate this blog from a public relations standpoint.