The Paw Path Cat Blog: Small Business Blog of the Day

We're getting kittens! Two new additions to the family will be here shortly, we recently went shopping for some basic cat accessories, and I began to wonder about pet store blogs. Technorati didn't turn up any blogs about pet stores, but I found today's blog owned by a company that makes an accessory for cats.

What it is
The Paw Path Cat Blog is the blog for The Paw Path Litter Mat Store, a walkway your cat steps on after he/she has used the litter box. The textured walkway removes litter from the cats' paws and deposits it in a tray beneath the walkway keeping your carpets litter-free. The blog is "written" by the cats Bambi and Leo in Newburgh, New York.

Features
Photos of Bambi and Leo. Product updates. Stories written by a cat's perspective.

Favorite Post
Cat Quotes lists sayings by famous people about the feline:

   

"Cats were put into the world to disprove the dogma that all things were created to serve man. ~Paul Gray"

Further Comments
This type of blog is known loosely as a "character blog." This means the blog is written by some character rather than an actual person, in this case two cats. Robert Scoble and Shel Israel touch on character blogs in their book Naked Conversations saying,

   

"One character blog creator argued that he is trying to 'expand blogging with innovative creative elements,' but from what we can make out, most bloggers just hate them, and the negative viewpoint is entrenched." (page 153)

It is also noteworthy that this quote is taken from a chapter called "Doing it Wrong."

First, let me say that at least the company has a blog, and I applaud them for starting one. Next, let me suggest that they do away with the pretense that the blog is written by cats! I'm no veterinarian, but I'm fairly certain the blog isn't really written by cats. I mean, I can barely get my cat to program Battlestar Galactica on the DVR.

Blogs are popular because of the simple fact that they offer transparency to a company's culture. If the blog is disingenuous in any way, it blows this basic concept of why blogs work, and will have the effect of repelling readers rather than endearing them. In the case of Paw Path, it lacks this genuineness by claiming that it is written by cats. Much better to write about cats than to pretend to be a cat who types, has learned English, and knows how to access the wireless network.

Instead, the blog should focus on stories from customers, bios and interviews of the employees, advice on cat care, and tons of photos of Bambi and Leo (plus photos of other kitties readers might send in). Right now, there are good photos of Bambi and Leo, so that's a big step forward. My advice would be to drop the "written by cats" facade, and concentrate on these other aspects to produce a very popular and profitable small business blog.

Tags: paw path, paw path cat blog, litter mat, paw path litter mat, kittie litter, cat litter, cat litter mat, kittie litter mat, cat quotes, naked conversations, shel israel, robert scoble, newburgh, newburgh new york, newburgh ny

Comments

[lisa]

I understand your point that some "character" blogs can seem disingenuous, but it's not like this is a huge corporation trying to be folksy. Any blog that updates regularly with cute animal photos is okay with me!

[Juli Kobayashi]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for featuring us and for your insights! I don't personally agree that character blogs are a way of "doing it wrong," although I see valid arguments on both sides. I've posted a link to this review & an article on character blogs, so come check it out! And thanks again, we really appreciate the feature.

Best,
Juli