Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Marketers Ask A Lot

1. I have a website, why do I need mBLAST?
2. What's it cost? I have no budget for any big projects this year!
3. How do I start?
4. I don't want to get on another SPAM list, I'm trying to reduce my email!
5. I don't want all my people to have to register to do this!
6. Why would I want to put our information into mBLAST if our competitors can see it too?
7. Who else is participating in mBLAST?
8. Are all of mBLAST’s interactions in real time?
9. I've got content management systems, why do I need mBLAST?
10. Why do I have to use the mBLAST interface, why can't I just send you my information?
11. How do I submit a press release in mBLAST?

Questions Marketing/PR Firms Ask A Lot

1. How can I have all the various people involved in the marketing effort get involved in mBLAST?
2. How can I be assured that the key members of the press are using this system?
3. If I am a PR firm, how do I respond on behalf of an account of mine?
4. How can we get our other clients to do mBLAST?
5. Will this put a barrier between the influencers and me? I like it when they call for clarification because I can then talk to them.
6. Does it cost me anything to try it?
7. Really?
8. Will it ever cost me anything?
9. How do I get started?

Questions Publishers/Reporters/Editors/Analysts Ask A Lot

1. How do I know that mBLAST data is correct?
2. How can I have a unique offering for my subscribers if other competitors have access to the same tools?
3. Do you offer exclusivity on certain areas of coverage?
4. What makes your access to information different from other informational Web sites?
5. Does a company have to pay to belong to mBLAST to be in my published offering?
6. What does this cost me?
7. How do I get started?

Questions Forums/Associations/Event Organizers Ask A Lot

1. Why would I not just do this myself?

Questions Asked by Users A Lot

1. What do I do if I forgot my password?
2. My record has an error; can you correct it for me?

Questions Marketers Ask A Lot

Questions Marketing/PR Firms Ask A Lot

1. How can I have all the various people involved in the marketing effort get involved in mBLAST?

   Each firm has an “mBLAST administrator” – temporarily assigned to the first person at your company that registers, but which can be transferred to others. That’s why we ask for someone in a senior marketing position to log in first. Thereafter, others in the firm – or affiliated with the firm, like a PR firm or Investor Relations firm – are approved and given access rights by the administrator. As administrator, this master user has full control over the creation and assignment of access rights to users and groups in the mBLAST system.

2. How can I be assured that the key members of the press are using this system?

   As with any community of interest, the value of the community itself is in those who use it. mBLAST has many different ways that it is attracting influencers to use mBLAST – the biggest being the tools available to make their lives easier. mBLAST will be continually announcing major participants in the mBLAST information chain, but as of the beta period, this includes such varied players as Network World, TeleChoice, The PON Forum, Broadband Wireless Exchange, Full-Service Access Networking (FSAN) Group, and dozens of others. TeleChoice is in the process of adding the remaining major publishers in the telecommunications space in time for its public launch (shortly). But it all starts with the first steps. First register yourself in mBLAST and select your area of interest. You will be matched up with reporters and editors sharing that interest area. If you do not see the key reporters in your area, please click on Suggest an Influencer and fill out the information. An automatic email will be sent to them requesting them to join mBLAST. Our practical use over the many alpha and beta sessions has shown that the efficiencies provided by mBLAST bring people back.

3. If I am a PR firm, how do I respond on behalf of an account of mine?

   Security and control are top priorities for mBLAST and we take great strides to protect each client’s information. mBLAST protects information down to the individual field level, so companies can restrict access to filling out whole sections, or specific pieces of information. As a PR firm, mBLAST enables you to be an ‘alias’ for your client – basically allowing you to act as if you were an employee of the firm. But first you must have your own senior marketing director register your PR firm in mBLAST. Then, follow the PR validation process that will include a request being sent to each of your clients’ administrators seeking permission to have you maintain their mBLAST records. Once they approve, you have access to those sections they allow you to see.

4. How can we get our other clients to do mBLAST?

   First off, many of them probably already are using mBLAST, as a result of requests from Influencers to use the system for Buyer's Guides, Feature Stories, Events Speaker Registration, Forum Membership Lists, etc. If they are not using the system, it's easy. First register yourself/your company in mBLAST. Then go to your workspace, click on the Suggestions tab, and click on Invite Someone to Join mBLAST, and enter their name and email address. mBLAST will take it from there. An automatic email will be sent to your clients requesting them to join mBLAST. Then once they are validated by the system, you can request access to their records. For firms with a lot of clients, mBLAST’s team will help you – simply contact customer service at custsvc@mblast.com.

5. Will this put a barrier between the influencers and me? I like it when they call for clarification because I can then talk to them.

   No, what mBLAST seeks to do is to make the flow of information and contact more efficient and more controlled, not replace your relationships with the influencers. In fact, it should actually improve your relationship with the influencer. With mBLAST, we are seeking to take the rote, time-consuming aspects of your work and wrap a process around them. (You don't get paid better if you can place 47 phone calls to reporters and leaving voice mails, for instance.) mBLAST seeks to take the 'background noise' out of marketing so people can focus on the topics and interests directly in their area. This means less time spent correcting facts and placing calls, and more time focusing on doing the work that has an end impact on your work. mBLAST will focus your energies on providing true differentiation in the marketplace, and that will make your interaction more valuable to your firm in the long run.

6. Does it cost me anything to try it?

   Nope.

7. Really?

   Yup.

8. Will it ever cost me anything?

   The mBLAST business model is to provide an unparallelled level of efficiency in the marketing information chain, and to charge a nominal, annual subscription fee for taking part in that information flow. This charge will be to those who benefit the most from the transaction, the vendors who are trying to market their wares and services. It is our intent (pricing is being finalized based on interviews with beta testers) to offer these services for free or heavily discounted to PR firms that have their vendors taking part in mBLAST. We (and beta testing PR firms do too) see mBLAST as a revenue-generating opportunity as well as an efficiency producing service. We have designed every aspect of mBLAST to make sure it is a no-brainer for all involved. A year of intense beta testing has proven this to be the case, we believe.

9. How do I get started?

   Request our quick start kit for PR firms from custsvc@mblast.com. Then go to www.mblast.com and register. The system will provide you with notifications about what to do from there.

Questions Publishers/Reporters/Editors/Analysts Ask A Lot

1. How do I know that mBLAST data is correct?
   

   mBLAST is not in the business of maintaining databases; it is in the business of enabling companies to control their own data. While mBLAST has prepolulated the system with information from publicly available databases, much of this information is not current. We know it, our beta testers know it. This is why many Influencers are asking companies they interface with to log in and update their information. From there on our, mBLAST will contact them on a regular basis to make sure it stays current. We even have designed some tools to make this as simple as forwarding an email to mBLAST and we will take on the task of notifying the company to update their info. Ultimately, we are a process, not a database. This means the person responsible for the integrity of the data works for the company or is the PR firm representing the company. With so many players using the data, everyone has a greater vested interest in the integrity of the data, and therefore it is more likely to be kept updated and accurate. But even that is supported by other tools to drive more accuracy – namely, mBLAST’s tools for challenging entries by other firms. mBLAST embraces the whole idea that companies need to position themselves as optimally as possible, while at the same time providing an environment that encourages as much truthfulness as possible. At the end of the day, mBLAST is providing influencers with a tool similar to a phone, a fax, or an overnight delivery system. What gets put in packages or on the fax is up to the companies to defend and support.

2. How can I have a unique offering for my subscribers if other competitors have access to the same tools?
   

   The amazing thing about facts is that if they are, well, ... factual, they are all the same. The issue is how you use that fact, view it, and present/analyze it. If you have the facts about companies and their products, you can merge, select, delete, transpose, etc., these facts to reflect your view and your priorities. The facts are still the facts. If you think about any press release or new product introduction, the facts usually are provided to all reporters at the same time. What differentiates articles are the analysts interviewed, users talked to, graphics presented, etc., and the perspective taken. Another way to look at mBLAST is at an application level. We are a Word, Excel, or Powerpoint level tool. How you use and exploit those tools is up to you.

3. Do you offer exclusivity on certain areas of coverage?
   

   No, how could we? How do you define boundaries of areas? And even if you could, it goes against the goals of the system at large, to create a marketing community of interest that drives efficiencies by participation.

4. What makes your access to information different from other informational Web sites?
   

   With mBLAST, we're a process, not just a database. With us, you can link to information such that if it changes in the future, you can be told of those changes. You can create limitless numbers of charts, comparison matrices, and graphics. What makes the data unique to your company is the analysis you provide, and the data you format to complement that analysis. mBLAST has tools to make the data closely match your company’s style and color scheme, so customization of a matrix or comparison chart is fast and simple. Hosting options allow for the data to change in real time, or if you choose to post the information to your own site, a variety of update options are available to you. We support XML, Excel, Tab-Delimited, and other file formats. mBLAST will notify you if the data in your chart changes. The difficult part of researching a matrix or comparison chart is taken care of -- leaving more time to create the in-depth analysis that will be the real differentiator of your information. We've reduced the effort for creating a Buyer's Guide from 3-6 months to a matter of hours, for instance. One Buyer's Guide was done with more than 130 companies involved -- how would you even do that manually!

5. Does a company have to pay to belong to mBLAST to be in my published offering?
   

   The short answer is yes, no, and we're still debating that as part of our pricing. mBLAST as a whole is a nominal fee to start with, with its basic level costing less than the cost to issue a press release these days. We're not seeing this as any hindrance to people using the system. However, your reporters, editors, researchers, etc., also have access to tools, such as the survey tools, that enable them to gather their own information – regardless of the present data stored in the system and the level of mBLAST participation. mBLAST was designed to support the free and open nature of information gathering, so we have not constrained your published product. So the bottom line here: No, a firm does not have to pay to take part, but will be able to enjoy a much more intense and efficient relationship with you if they subscribe to some of the higher level modules. Think of mBLAST as a required utility in customer communications, along with a phone line, a fax, and an email account.

6. What does this cost me?
   

   The mBLAST model is to charge where the benefit and ability to pay is the greatest – to the marketing departments within the vendor/seller organizations. Most of the functions and capabilities on the Influencer side of the equation are free or waived; there are nominal charges on the Influencer side for bandwidth and storage usage and for customization, but not all firms choose to use these features. In fact, most Influencers are able to use the mBLAST system at no cost. For more info on pricing, email us at info@mblast.com.

7. How do I get started?
   

   Request our quick start kit for Publishers from custsvc@mblast.com. Then go to www.mblast.com and register. The system will provide you with notifications about what to do from there.

Questions Forums/Associations/Event Organizers Ask A Lot

1. Why would I not just do this myself?
   

   mBLAST will add efficiency to your membership and information distribution process. If you currently have a sophisticated database and membership system, mBLAST works in partnership with that – we merely would like to send you data as it changes in your membership organizations, such as changes of address, new CEOs, etc. If you are currently maintaining your membership data by hand, you are depending on a person at your organization to gather all the correct data and enter it into your Website, your online directories, reports to the press, and in other outlets. In general, this is a passive data collection system. The only way you generally find out about changes or corrections is when there is a problem, or a complaint. The value-added service of hyperlinks, information pop-ups, and instant email to a company representative are all done automatically through the mBLAST system. Your members can take an active role in maintaining their own records and updating staff changes, positioning statements, email addresses, and phone numbers. This should greatly reduce the time it takes to maintain your Web site. mBLAST will also let you generate the membership directories from the current data, and this means fewer hard copy changes if you plan on producing printed materials.

Questions Asked by Users A Lot

1. What do I do if I forgot my password?
   

   There is a link on the login page that says "Forgot Password?" When you click there, your password will be emailed you.

2. My record has an error; can you correct it for me?
   

   The mBLAST concept is to allow you, the user, to control your own data. For this reason mBLAST does not maintain a database, mBLAST allows you to take control of that maintenance yourself by giving you access to your own live data. No more waiting for a response from a customer service person or a Webmaster. If you are not registered and want to know who in your firm is, contact the customer service department and they will be happy to put you in touch.