A great blog post
The New York Times article on Amazon’s culture (8/15/15) unleashed a pack of blog posts and articles. Most of them were more “piling on” than carefully reasoned. They expressed outrage and revulsion and called for an Amazon boycott. But the writers didn’t seem to know much beyond that single Times article. Chris Edmonds’ post, “Do you want a bruising workplace?” was different.
Full disclosure first. Chris is a friend and his blog is on my must-read list. I think his post on the Amazon story is excellent and a great example of how to do a post reacting to a current event or article.
Blog from your sweet spot
Chris is an expert on organizational culture. He’s been working on it, studying it, and writing about it for forty years. Your best blog posts of any kind will come from your sweet spot.
Review what others have said
Chris reviewed what was out there on the Amazon story and the Amazon culture. He provided links to a variety of sources, including the Times’ Public Editor. He was the only blogger I saw to check out Amazon’s ratings on Glassdoor. He pointed readers to other past and present coverage of Amazon’s culture.
State your opinion
It’s not enough for you to lay out analysis and sources, readers want your judgment. They want to know what you think.
Bottom Line
Your best “reaction” blog posts will do three things. They will come from your sweet spot of expertise and experience. They will review what’s already been done. And they will state your considered opinion.