A while back I posted a blog that was a review of a Hubspot Webinar. In that post, I mentioned that the key to a successful blog is changing up your post structure and topics on a regular basis. Jeb Banner, Partner and CEO of Small Box implemented this strategy when he posted a controversial blog post titled The problem with Compendium Blogware and how to fix it.
In this post, Jeb very professionally explains that he is asked his opinion on Compendium Blogware on a daily basis and finally reached the point to where he wants to make some of his concerns public. He later goes on to explain that he feels Compendium’s model is to produce duplicate content to trick or “game” search engines (Google) into indexing the same content multiple times in search results which is why they have been successful at increasing search rank. He expresses his main conflict is that while this model may work great now, eventually Google will adjust their algorithm and all Compendium clients will suffer the consquences as the majority of their hard work will be lost.
As you can imagine, this post instantly began to stir some buzz in the social media community. It wasn’t too long before Chris Baggott, Co-Founder and CEO of Compendium and Douglas Karr, VP of Blogging Evangelism at Compendium were on the scene to defend their company. They were quick to state that the Compendium model does not produce duplicate content, but rather creates relevant search results for multiple search terms. This conversation continued on Smaller Indiana under the heading Thoughts on Compendium Blogware.
My personal opinion: It doesn’t really matter to me how Compendium does it. The simple fact is that it works. That cannot be denied. There is never a guarantee that what works today will work tomorrow or that what works for one company will work for the next. We all take that risk every single day, especially in the ever-changing technology/social media realm. Why not take advantage of Compendium if it makes sense for your business?
So why did I want to share this post with you today? Because this whole occurrence was educational, entertaining and downright engaging. It is always great to see a CEO vs. CEO debate across several social media platforms for the world to see. The comments and interaction were plenty and that is what it’s all about. At the end of the day, Jeb posted a revision on his blog stating that he appreciated Chris taking the time to respond and felt as though several of his concerns have now been properly addressed. So there you have it, you never know who will be reading your blog that day. Take a risk every now and then. You just might get that closure you have been needing.
Thanks! I think having these types of debates is great in the public forum – as long as it’s not a shot across the bow. I would have much rather someone contacted me or Chris so we could have a healthy discussion that was published… rather than having to come out simply for defense.
There is a ton of disinformation regarding SEO and most people hang out in the weeds. Instead of simply choosing a great platform and worrying about content, people always seem to get hung up in this stuff.
One correction: Chris Baggott and Ali Sales are actually the founders of Compendium. It is true that I was involved from (before) day one and that I’m a shareholder, but I didn’t join Compendium Blogware until recently.
Hi Douglas,
Thank you for taking the time to post on my blog. I am always receptive and interested in your perspective, so feel free to post any time.
I agree that a nicely prefaced email could have been in order before the blog was posted, but it is what it is. I think you and Chris have done a great job handling the responses and I have personally learned a lot from it. As a new client of Compendium, I know many of use at Fusework Studios are looking forward to utilizing your services. The bottom line for me is that Google is Google. Many people spend so much time trying to figure out how it works or getting caught up over certain topics that they miss the boat on an opportunity. Chasing Google is chasing a moving target. So do what works and what works NOW.
BTW…I corrected your title in my post. I also was not sure if you prefer Doug or Douglas. Let me know if I should correct that as well. I saw it both ways.
Thanks Derek! If I told you why I prefer Douglas online and Doug offline, I would really show you how much of an SEO geek I am. (Argh… I just told you!)
Welcome to Compendium! We’re looking forward to knocking the ball out of the park for Fusework Studios!
Hi Douglas,
We are gonna make it a Grand Slam buddy!
P.S. I changed the spelling, so the SEO should kick in right now!
Hey Derek, thanks for your interesting take on the exchange. I think Douglas has a slightly different take on this public exchange than Chris Baggot and I do. I think posting a respectful critique in public and allowing the company to respond is actually better than voicing the critique privately to clients and not allowing them to have a balanced viewpoint which I think the comments achieve. If anything Compendium has a better shot with me and my clients now than before.
Although I knew my comments would be a little controversial I have to say I am surprised by how much of a reaction it caused! I like your take. Now stop stealing clients from us!
Hi Jeb,
Thank you for your post. I do not know if there is a right or wrong way to go about something like that, but I do feel that while you did it publicly it was in a very professional way with good intentions. From my point of view, it was just great to see such conversations from two companies and CEO’s that all of us in the Indy area should definitely admire. The level of respect was still there and each of you did a great job defending your case.
Best Wishes,
Derek
Thanks Derek! I’ve really enjoyed getting to know your colleague Justin btw. Great guy who gets the web. Looks like you have a great team at Fuse Works. Keep up the good work! Jeb
Your kind words are appreciated. Justin has great things to say about Small Box as well. Thanks Jeb!