CBS joins the fake/character blog fray for one of its sitcoms, How I Met Your Mother. “Barney’s Blog” is named after a character played by Neil Patrick Harris.
Barney’s Blog is not the first character blog; it’s not even the first TV character blog. What is unique is that Barney references his blog in one of the episodes. So now we’re even seeing the promotion of a TV show embedded in the show itself. Oy.
Blog Ingredients?
But I’m not interested in revisiting the fake blog meme. Examine Barney’s Blog and riddle me this: Is it a blog? There are no comments, no trackbacks and no RSS feeds. Each item is a key element that makes a blog the highly-networked tool we know and love. Content does not apply to this discussion, not to mention who actually wrote it.
What are the minimum, essential elements are that make a blog more than just a web site?
Weigh in with your opinion. And for an update on character blogs, check out Business Week, Ad Freak and Movie Marketing Madness.
*Some may recall Harris also played Doogie Howser. M.D.. Considering Doogie always ended each episode by posting to his personal, computer-based journal (not online in those days), he was an appropriate choice.
Kevin Dugan is the author of the popular Strategic Public Relations blog. Kevin is Director of Marketing Communications for FRCH Design Worldwide.
Visit Kevin’s blog: Strategic Public Relations.
