Lucid Green: Websites made simple

Blogging for business.

 

Blogging defined.

Here a blog, there a blog, everywhere a blog blog! Almost everyone has had some contact with the blogging craze. If you are not familiar with blogs they are simply web based journals that can be updated regularly with new content. The term "blog" is a contraction the more formal term "weblog" (pronounced "web-log"). The word "blog" can be used both as a noun referring to a weblog, and a as verb referring to the action of publishing content to your blog (i.e. "I'm going to blog today.").

In the most basic sense a weblog is simply a content management system. blogging (the action of publishing content using some form of blog software) first gained popularity because it is an easy way for individuals to keep friends and family informed by writing a public journal. Many bloggers publish their day to day thoughts and activities for all the world to read.

Yet, the ease of publishing and managing content with a blog is useful for far more than just keeping a public record of one's personal life. Read on.

To blog or not to blog?

Blogs have four distinct advantages:

  • They can be easily updated.
    Imagine the benefits of providing fresh, interesting content to your customers on consistent basis. Instead of the hassles of mass email, which can annoy recipients, or the cost of mailing a newsletter monthly, a blog can be a simple way to gain and keep visitor's interest.
  • They can automatically publish, archive and organize your content.
    Publishing content to a blog requires no knowledge of HTML or any other web language. They are so easy that almost anyone can do it. They can automatically organize and archive your "posts" or articles as you write them so visitors always have quick access to your best information.
  • They can give a "personal touch" to your site.
    Regularly updated blogs show that a real person is behind this faceless website and many blog tools allow visitors to comment on the articles or "posts." This fosters a vibrant community of readers with whom you can personally interact. As your visitors respond to your content you can adapt and create content to fit their needs and desires. Done well, a blog can become a powerful tool in creating lasting personal connections with visitors and clients. This, in turn, translates into action and sales.
  • They can boost your site's search engine ranking.
    The more text your site contains the more keywords there are for search engines to index. If your site contains a wealth of useful information about your area of business your site will be favored by search engines.

 

What To blog?

As you can probably tell, a blog can benefit almost every business or organization. But what should you publish?

The possibilities are limitless but here are a few ideas:

  • Industry news.
  • Useful tips that visitors will be interested in (e.g. a home improvement site could publish "How To" articles).
  • Original articles (e.g. a movie rental store could publish movie reviews).
  • Personal/company news (e.g. a band could publish before and after concert news and stories, and a company could keep investors and customers up to date on company news).
  • Answer visitor's questions.
  • Publish book installments (much like the books published in magazines a chapter a time).

 

Go for it!

If you have decided that blogging is for you then you have two options:

  • Purchase software
  • Use an online service

 

Purchasing software

For a business owner it often makes the most sense to purchase software which can be integrated with your website. This way your blog content can be and integral part of your overall site. The look of a blog is template based, but with the right expertise most software systems can be seamlessly integrated with any design.

There are 4 main contenders in the software division of blogging tools

WordPress - this software is most notable because it is free. Released under the GPL it is open source, meaning you can use it any way you see fit-including popping the hood and customizing the code to suite your fancy. This software resides on your server and allows you to publish content to your website from any computer with an internet connection.

Movable Type - this software was once free for personal use but now costs for personal use with some restrictions. The benefit of Movable Type is the ability to customize it to fit nearly any need. This package also resides on your server and allows you to access it via any web browser.

Pmachine - this package resides on your PHP and MySQL enabled server and is also highly customizable.

Radio Userland - this software sits on your personal computer and updates your website via FTP. This means you cannot update your blog from anywhere, but it also means you have more immediate control over the look and feel of you site.

Using an online service

An online blogging service can be an attractive option because there is no need to configure software or host it on your own server. But this also means you cannot as easily integrate it with your website since users must link to a different server to view it.

If you are just experimenting a online blogging service can be ideal, since many of them are free.

The main contenders in the online blogging service division are.

Blogger - Google's blogging service is free and very easy to get started with.

Xanga - this is an entire blogging community, which can be a great way to make connections with other bloggers and potential readers. There is a limited free service, but for a small monthly fee you can have access to many advanced features.

LiveJournal - this is another service with a limited free account and the ability to pay a small fee for more features.

TypePad - this service has many advanced features and many options.

All in all blogging can be a great tool for any business or organization that wants to connect and stay connected with its clients. The process of blogging itself can be a rewarding and even addicting exercise. So why not get out there and explore the unique community of blogs and bloggers!