Blog And Why
Nov 13th, 2008 by thanate
What Is A Blog And Why Does My Business Need One?
By Cameron Thompson
Recently a business friend and I were discussing the rise of the internet, ensuing innovations and rapid pace of change. Then the comment he made was “I don’t even know what a blog is!”
“Blog” is an abbreviation for “web log”. It is a website that acts as a reverse chronology journal, with the newest entries appearing first. People author blogs for a number of reasons; personal expression, political agendas, family connection, and importantly for us, business information. Someone who authors a blog is called a “blogger” and the activity is called “blogging”. Each individual entry is called a “post”. Most post a quite short, maybe just a few hundred words. So, now you know.
Blogs are much more than just a one way flow of thoughts though, most have the capacity for readers and subscribers to interact with the author and other readers by commenting on the various posts on the blog. This is similar to a forum, except that it is completely up to the discretion of the author as to who they allow to comment, and what they say. A little less democratic, but useful nonetheless.
Blog authors can also interact with each other, not only by comments, but through a “trackback”. This is where one author references another author’s post, and may earn a link back to their blog. Just like comments, the original author has control over who they allow to place “trackbacks” to their blog.
The trend of blogging is one way that the internet is changing the way that people receive their information. In many recent events, such as the earthquake in China, bloggers were spreading word about the event before it hit the mainstream media.
There are a number of reasons why you should be blogging if you’re in business, here’s just a few:
1. A blog positions you as an authority in your field, especially if you consistently post to it over a period of time.
2. Blogs allow you to create a two-way, informal conversation with your customers, prospects, audience or even staff. You can introduce people to your business or brand in an engaging and non-threatening manner, that provides them with free information of value.
3. Blogs can be good for your website ranking – consistently added to, they will create many hundreds of keyword specific pages, and fresh information is valued over old information by search engines.
4. Its so simple! There are many great free or low-cost blogging platforms available, making it really simple for people to start and manage their own blog.
5. Blogs help you organize your thoughts. As you write and expand on your ideas, it helps you to solidify your knowledge as you share it with others!
Consider starting a blog for your business, the sooner the better. Just as it has becomes standard for a business to have a website, it ought to be a standard too!
Watch out for further articles about building traffic to your blog, and avoiding some of the costly mistakes.
By C.S. Thompson – Online Communications Specialist
For more information about improving your online communications, contact me via info@thompsonmarketing.com.au
Get a free website evaluation by taking our online effectiveness survey at http://www.thompsonmarketing.com.au
C.S. Thompson is an online communications specialist whose firm focussed on targeted marketing communications delivered primarily via electronic media. Based in Sydney, Australia, Thompson Marketing Consultants delivers results for customers via effective and well managed websites, email marketing campaigns, social media strategy and marketing planning.
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