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We will now begin a blog entry discussing the benefits of blogging.  Yes, this is a blog on blogging, *gasp*.  Do not fret; the universe will most likely not collapse upon itself but there exists a strong possibility of meeting the bizzaro world version of yourself later today.  Let us travel back to 1998 to the conception of the “blogosphere” as we know it.  In that year only a handful of blogs existed on the internet.  These sites, coined “weblogs” by Jorn Barger, were essentially online journals for motivated individuals.  For a unique glimpse to the early days of blogging check out this list of blogs existing in the year 2000.  Fast forward 10 years and writing a blog is America’s newest favorite past-time with an estimate by Wired magazine stating nine blogs being created every minute.  Some estimates placed the number of blogs world wide to be close to 100 million with many more readers in 2008.

Of these 100 million blogs, many bloggers are not very committed to their blog and their target audience consists mainly of friends and family.  Furthermore, many blogs are concerned with the blogger’s hobbies and/or interest.  Lastly we have the part of the blogosphere, which this blog exists in, the business sector.  The blog is a useful tool for any and all types of business.  The blog creates a dialog with customers and stakeholders that can be extremely useful in generating value.  Also, the blog becomes a tool for attracting visitors to your website which may lead to future opportunities.

As you ponder starting a blog, there a few things to consider; the host of your blog, your blogs content and attracting readers.  Many avenues for hosting blogs exist online, check out this database to pick the right one for you. On a side note, these are all third party blog hosts and will not be hosted within your website. In order to have the blog be internal to your site you will need to contact your webhost to set that up.  Now onto the next step, deciding what the heck you are going to write about.  To start off, maybe write a small introduction explaining your business and welcoming visitors to your company’s blog.  Remember the blog is a conversation and can be funny and witty.  Also remember to keep the posts succinct and to the point, unlike this post.  Once you have a post or two published online you will want to attract readers for these posts.  Try an email to your contacts directing them to your brand new blog.  Also, make sure the blog has a link on your company’s homepage so potential customers can read about your business.  Another suggestion is to network your blog in the blogosphere.  Check out blog database sites like Blogarama and blog search engines such as Technorati and Google blog search to read other users blogs, generate ideas and find inspiration.

One final word of advice before you take the step toward a successful blog, have fun with the blog.  A blog is meant to be conversational and informative.  Imagine yourself at a networking event using the same language you would use while writing a memo or press release.  Chances are that you will not be the life of the party.  Now picture the guy making jokes and capturing people’s attention.  You want your blog to be funny, informative and interesting just like the fun guy at the party.  So sit back, relax, and get ready to blog!