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Comment by samd | Hacker News Reader

37 Signals, Fog Creek, Mint, can you even be a successful web company without a blog and an audience?

Facebook, Google, Zynga, yeah I guess you can!

That said I know they have blogs now, largely targeted at developers and early adopters, but in the early days they didn't. However, I'm a big fan of blogs, think every professional/company should have one. Great way to spread ideas, make contacts, etc.

Blog is not enough. What Mint did (and is still doing) is selling their byproduct - in their case is statistics they can dig from their user data.

Statistics are always very popular among the press crowd - this can be easily sold and drives additional traffic.

the nature of blogs is that they are essentially miniature social media networks in disguise, when done right. Facebook is a giant "blog", that's why they don't need any blogs.

37 signals and Fog Creek target very sophisticated users, so in their case a well respected blog goes a long way. You could probably make the same argument for Mint, although I think their main target is a rung lower than the other two.

I find these individual blogs more valuable than a company blog.

I want to hear the success story from the designers perspective, another from the technical lead, and another from an engineering point-of-view and so on.

I think that kind of blog is very different. The general purpose blog is for customers (or potential customers). The Tech/Eng/BD blogs are great for startup enthusiasts, but aren't going to be very efficent channels to get customers to sign up. Unless the potential customer fits one of those groups and is interested on a couple levels. I agree with you though, I find the behind the curtain stuff fascinating.

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