Web + Log = Weblog or Blog

Matt Browne - Z57 REALTOR® Resource

Have you been to either of the former presidential candidate's websites? If you have, you may have noticed in the top left and right corner (prime Internet real estate) the word "Blog".

To call a blog a journal would not do it justice. It's more than that. It's about an interactive community instantly publishing wildly thoughtful and extremely useful information.

What's that mean?

It means that when you put a journal online, good things happen. Blogs can be a lifeline into someone's business or life, and only the brave have the right to tackle them. Yes, I am challenging you!

OK, to do a blog you need a certain commitment of time, interest, and opinion. You need to feel passionately about WHAT you are writing about, you need 45 minutes of TIME to write it, and that's it. Don't worry, there's spell check.

So now that you are hip to what a blog is, now you have to pronounce it. Think DOG, with a BL.

Who has Blogs? Well, presidents, media outlets, me, you, your neighbor... anyone. Think of it as your own personal space on the Internet for you or your company. You can even embed a blog into your website with surprising ease.

Blogs have made tremendous strides in places where there is innovation. (Companies lacking innovation will likely not be able to facilitate the creation and support for a Blog.)

So here's how it works. You log into a control panel that allows you to type your thoughts freely in an environment very similar to Microsoft Word.

If you are a business, you could be writing your blog about trends and tips specifically for your product of industry. Here is an example of a Private Investigator's Blog that talks about auto theft.

http://www.thefastandthefraudulent.com/tips/index.php

Ok, before YOU start adding up the time investment, resource allocation, logistics, and your eyes roll back in your head... you have to hear me out.

What are blogs good for? Simple stated: new age communication.

If you pride yourself on communicating with your clients, friends, or strangers, you need to consider starting a blog.

Blogs will give people something to look forward to when they visit your website. They will communicate the true personality and brand of the company. Most of the time, that's a good thing.

Blogs come up frequently in search engines. If an interior designer writes a blog about 1/2 bath design, she could expect to be in Yahoo when someone searched "1/2 bath design" and might get some business.

Studies will show visitor loyalty spikes significantly when the website has an active blogger.

The truth is, blogging is nothing new. Blogs have always been around in another form. Bloggers (before they were called that) were light years ahead of their time. It has gotten to the point where the public wants and needs these blogs. And blogs are good for marketing. If you don't see it yet, I do. Here's your opportunity to be the most innovative person you know.

Enter thought leadership.

The best blogs are those about things your company can speak to with confidence, things consumers would be most interested in knowing. A soccer mom would blog about her kids, I blog about teaching you how to blog, you might blog about what the Real Estate marketing is doing in your neighborhood.

You can use this search engine for blogs to research products, hobbies, special interests, and you will be amazed what you find and the people you meet. http://www.technorati.com (http://www.technorati.com)

So when you hear a technophile refer to the Blogosphere, you now know it's a web of online journals used by businesses and people for legitimate & powerful communication channels or your own Soap Box on the Internet.