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Blogs |
Bloggers |
Blogs: A compilation of what "Blogs" mean to "Bloggers" and the "Blogging" community. Blog A History The definition might change. Back in 1999, Jorn Barger, sometimes credited for coining the term, defined a Weblog as "a webpage where a weblogger (sometimes called a blogger, or a pre-surfer) 'logs' all the other webpages she finds interesting." Today's definition is "a Web page that serves as a publicly-accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author." What started as a log of interesting Web sites soon became a forum for self-expression. I bet you can find someone from nearly every walk of life with a Weblog -- authors, politicians, moms, dads, doctors, teachers. Even friends of a guy named Fred created one to discuss Fred. Blogging is here to stay. Today, it's estimated millions of dedicated bloggers are conversing on over half a million blogs, with over 1,000 new ones cropping up daily. Though it might look as if bloggers are merely venting personal, sometimes highly opinionated, voices on cyberspace's new talk radio channel, there's more to blogs than mere ranting and raving. A Blog vs. Bulletin Boards For people who had not heard of Weblogs before, there's still some confusion as to what Weblogs are and how they differ from chat rooms, bulletin boards, and other communication forums. Though Weblogs started out as merely logs of interesting Web sites (much like today's column), they have evolved into an exchange of communication and information. How does a b-blog differ from a bulletin board or chat room? A b-blog will typically have an individual who acts as monitor and uses the blog as a way to communicate knowledge to colleagues, customers, partners, and other interested parties. Think of bulletin boards and chat rooms as less information sharing and more an exchange of views. Educational Applications of Weblogs has a comparison between the two different forums. B-Blogs as Newsletters Complimentary: A b-blog is not intended to replace the company newsletter. Its purpose is to extend and complement an e-newsletter strategy, serving customers and prospects in a way that extends your expertise and leadership in the marketplace. Timely. Because today's business world doesn't operate in the highly controlled, scheduled way a newsletter does, there are times (perhaps daily) when you would like to communicate a development to the same audience that receives your newsletter, whether customers and prospects, partners, or even employees. It could be a new client win, news from salespeople, or an enhancement to employee benefits. You want to get the information out now, not three weeks from now when your next newsletter is published. B-blogs offer this capability. They can bridge the time gap of your regular newsletters. B-Blog as Communication Informative. A b-blog is not a place for carefully crafted corporate speak nor a place to rant and rave. It's a place to inform. A b-blog communication is four or five sentences of direct, informative content about a specific issue or bit of news. Think of b-blog content as marketing to inform and educate. Flowing. Unlike a newsletter, which is often highly structured, a blog is ongoing. The flow of communication builds a knowledge-sharing platform among a community of like-minded people. Soon, an extensive base of information will develop that becomes important not only to your company but also to the faithful readers who contribute to it. B-Blog as Archivable Archivable. B-blogs extend the concept of FAQs. They can serve the same purpose, but better. B-blogs can be automatically archived by age in days, weeks, or months. And they're searchable, allowing readers to easily retrieve the information they need, when they need it. The K-Log Speaking of knowledge, John Robb of UserLand uses the term "k-log," short for knowledge Weblogs. John hosts "Radio Weblog," which has the great tagline, "No sense being pessimistic. It wouldn't work anyway." Apparently every employee at UserLand has a Weblog, as the Web site notes, which gives credit in this manner on the site: "People wonder how such a small company gets so much done. We use the [UserLand Weblog] tools, and refine them to make them work better in real world tasks." That, folks, is knowledge management in action! Blogs as Business Communities Here's what I see happening, folks. A few savvy businesses have caught on to the fact that blogs essentially present an opportunity to build communities where like-minded people gather to establish interactive dialogues on issues of their choice. And in the business world, large communities do gather, "Business-blogs," or "b-blogs" (a term I coined here and now), are perfect for the corporate world. B-blogs can offer organizations a platform where information, data, and opinion can be shared and traded among employees, customers, partners, and prospects in a way previously impossible: a two-way, open exchange. Companies can (and should) encourage self-publishing from all corners of the organization. Employees who want to post information should no longer have to go through the corporate site's marketing gatekeepers to post. Suddenly, the best thinkers in a company will have a digital voice they can manage and control themselves. |
