Social Media: Blogging

In the past five or six years, blogs have become one of the most popular ways to communicate on the internet. The blog world is a large network of individuals who come together to share stories, to ask for advice, and to give advice as well. There are many different types of blogs: fashion blogs, lifestyle blogs, “mommy” blogs, travel blogs, etc. Blogs aren’t just for individuals though; blogs are becoming more and more important for businesses today.

This Business Week article discusses blogs and how they can make or break your business. In 2005, there were almost 9 million blogs on the web, and 40,000 new ones were popping up each day. That was six years ago, and the blog world is still growing strong. Blogs represent power, to put it simply. In the article, they put into perspective just how powerful blogs have become by saying, “In the age of mass media, publications like ours print the news. Sources try to get quoted, but the decision is ours. Ditto with letters to the editor. Now instead of just speaking through us, they can blog. And if they master the ins and outs of this new art -- like how to get other bloggers to link to them -- they reach a huge audience.”

It is important for your business to be on its best behavior, because news in the blog world, especially bad news, travels fast. If somebody had a bad experience at a restaurant, their blog readers would hear about it. In January 2005, a 22-year-old employee of Google started blogging about his first days working for the company and mentioned that the health plan was “less generous” than Microsoft’s, and also blogged about Google’s free food. Two weeks later, this employee was fired. Google became “blogbusted” for overreacting. Even the way that a company handles itself on the inside may eventually end up on the blog world.

“Blog power simply doesn’t translate yet into big bucks. For now, it’s running mostly on people’s passion to communicate – especially in developing markets.” People like to feel like they are being listened to, like what they have to say is important. They like to know that people value their opinion, and the blog world is the perfect place to be heard.

If the public is already blogging about your company, why does your company need a blog? The answer to this question is talked about in this article on the Beanstalk. The point is discussed that everyone everywhere has a blog, which is one of the most compelling reasons for a company to have a blog. In today’s world, it is more uncommon for a business to not have a blog. The benefits of a business having a blog are discussed.

1.       Having a blog validates your company as “…being computer literate, technology savvy, thorough, and communicative.”

2.       A blog gives your company quick connections and an extended reach. A blog provides a place for your company to give quick updates that can include more than 140 characters, pictures, videos and whatever else you may need. “This business benefit is immediacy – of contact, information delivery and feedback, all crucially important to any business.”

3.       The blog world allows you to extend your network. The physical location of your business is important, but a blog allows you to be in one more place, and your blog can be indexed and listed in other blogs.

4.       Your company becomes more personal with customers and fans. A blog allows you to communicate with your followers, and the conversations that result can prove very beneficial when it comes to business dealings.

Blogging has many benefits, as long as you do it right. Every business needs to have a blog so that they can become more “real” to the outside world and to their customers. The feedback that can be received will be invaluable to the company. Both of these articles provided us (well, me at least), with some interesting things to think about.

For the full articles:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_18/b3931001_mz001.htm

http://www.beanstalk-inc.com/articles/copywriting/why-blog.html