The term “blog” gets tossed arounda lot these days. Like many technicalterms, it can have an aura of mystery(or at least tech–savvy exclusivity)that makes it seem more complicatedthan it actually is. In reality, it is thedemocratic nature of blogs that makethem so popular and influential. Blogsare also one of the simplest, cheapestand quickest ways to establish an onlinepresence, connect with your audience,get valuable feedback from readers andboost your search engine rankings.

A shortened form of the phrase“Web log,” a blog is a simplified Website, hosted individually or as part of atraditional site, that allows individualsor businesses to post information – text,images and video – on a particular topic.Blogs are updated frequently and tendto be more topical, spontaneous andinformal than traditional Web or printmedia.

Think of a blog as an online journal,where a specific individual with aparticular voice and area of expertiseshares his perspective. The abilityto comment immediately on eventsand, in turn, for readers to commentimmediately on what is posted, makesit a uniquely interactive medium. Theformat was originally dominated byindividual bloggers; however businessesare finding them increasingly useful asboth internal communication tools andas a community relations forum.

Blogs are usually arrangedchronologically, with the most recententry (or post) listed first. They are likedispatches or journal entries, exceptthat a typical blog allows for immediatereader response and interaction. Becausethese responses are posted for all tosee, blogs are an open forum to discussproducts, ideas, events, services, etc.Their popularity is attested by theexponential growth in the number ofblogs now available on the World WideWeb, referred to collectively as the“blogosphere.”

Blogs can be accessed a variety of waysincluding e–mail alerts, RSS feeds, directWeb site hits, shared through socialmedia such as Digg, Del.i.cious andStumbleUpon, and through specializedblog search engines such as Technorati,WordPress, Blogger, bloglines, GoogleBlog Search and Ice Rocket. If you canthink of a topic or area of interest, thereis probably a blog for it.

A sub–culture has grown up aroundblogs and bloggers, in part becauseit’s an inherently personal, direct andinformal media with a sense of gettingaround editorial review panels andcorporate PR image control. In an erawhere more relaxed business structures,flexible hours and telecommutes arecommonplace, many businesses – andconsumers – are finding the immediacyof blogs more appealing and trustworthythan traditional media. Because readerresponse is instantaneous and allowsfor a dialogue between readers, theperceived truth of the “real–nitty–gritty”combined with a personalized voice canhave a positive effect on business andbrand loyalty.

One of the main advantages is thatblogs allow an individual or businessto position themselves as an expert intheir field. Writing coherently, clearlyand convincingly on a topic is the bestway to convey your knowledge about it.The spontaneous quality of the mediumsuggests an internalized, rather thanstudied, knowledge. Moreover, the factthat the blog format allows readers toshare comments with the blogger andeach other tends to keep things “honest”:it isn’t just a one–sided conversation. It’sa true dialogue, where the blogger is heldaccountable. In short, a Web site talksAT you while a blog talks TO you.

The personal tone of most blogs isanother asset. People are bombarded bymarketing hype everyday. The informalconversational style of blogs creates atwo–way relationship between writer andreader – a relationship that many feelhas disappeared from many companies.The rise of the automated phone systemhas made it almost impossible to talk to areal human, even in smaller businesses.

Ironically, blogs make it possible toget a real human response easier thanmaking a phone call. Traditional Websites have a certain amount of staticinformation and tend toward standardmarketing language. Blogs dispense withall that, in part because the topics areusually more specific and informationaland in part because it’s assumed thatan individual – not a PR or marketingcommittee – is producing the contentand responding to reader comments.

Aside from establishing the expertiseof the blogger and developing a dialoguewith readers and customers, blogs offeranother major advantage to businessWeb sites: search engine optimization(SEO). Search engines love updated,fresh content. They also rely heavily onuser–generated content as an indicatorof popularity and quality. Good blogsare updated at least weekly, if not severaltimes a day, both by the blogger and byreader comments. This makes searchengines happy.

More important, blogs includeintegrated software that alerts serversand search engines that the content hasbeen updated. This is called pinging,a process that tells search engines tore–index your blog content and, whilethey’re at it, the rest of your site. Unlikeregular Web pages, which may takeweeks or months to attract searchengine robots, blogs are indexed almostimmediately each time you post anupdate.

These are just a few of the benefits ofincorporating a blog into your onlinebusiness strategy. Handled properly,blogs create a forum that is informative,appealing and even entertaining. One ofthe reasons blogs are so popular is thatthey’re fun to write and read. Allowingkey staff to “strut their stuff” in a blogemphasizes their expertise and value tothe organization and, by extension, theexpertise of the business.

It establishes a more–or–less personalrelationship with your customersand other readers, and it significantlyboosts your online presence in regardto SEO. Establishing your place in theblogosphere has never been easier ormore effective. It’s a simple tool that canbe critical to your online success.

The First Step Is Not So Hard

When you’ve never blogged before, it can sound like a daunting task. But it is not nearly as big a job as creating a web site orplanning annual budgeting. Here are a few new ideas for getting your foot into the blogging world front door.

Blogging can be as easy as an e–mail address. Web sites like Blogger, TypePad, WordPress and LiveJournal allow you to set upyour own page with a step–by–step process to virtually customizable blogsite. Simply start with your e–mail address and a fewbits of additional information and you are on your way.

Need something quick and instant? Twitter.com, a microblogging web site, allows you to set a “twitter stream” where youpost short – 140 character or less – updates. Just like a blog, other twitterites can follow your stream. Many companies likeApple, Microsoft, CNN and ESPN use Twitter to keep follows up to date on latest and breaking news.

According to the Business Insight Zone blog at www.hoovers.com these are four blogs,for financial news and commentary, worth checking out.

www.timebackmanagement.com/timeback–blog www.lateralaction.com www.veryofficalblog.com www.conversationagent.com