June 26, 2006

Janet and I have both participated in press interviews in the past week, and we were both asked the same question: should businesses really care about blogging?  

I always smile when this question comes up, because it is consistently one of the first things people ask during Web seminars, tradeshows, etc. I never really mind answering it (no matter how many times) because it is a great question and I know there are still a lot of skeptics out there.  

Why should businesses care about blogging? Because there are almost certainly conversations taking place in the blogosphere right now that are relevant/important to just about any organization. Still don't believe me? Just go to Technorati and type in your company name (or maybe a competitor's name) and hit "search."

Chances are you'll find something interesting. And trust me when I say that these conversations are going to take place whether a company cares or not, and they are going to take place whether a company likes it or not.

That being said, one thing that people sometimes overlook is that there are many different ways to get involved in the blogosphere. Not every organization needs to run out and start its own blog right this minute in order to participate effectively.  

Instead, a business might be better served by just using tools like Technorati (or PubSub or IceRocket or whatever) to keep an eye on what bloggers are saying about the company/market. That way, they at least know what's going on. If something is incorrect, they can refute it...if someone says something nice, they can acknowledge it...or if someone says something negative, maybe they can learn from it.  

Or perhaps a business would benefit from an internal blog - one focused on product development, HR, team-building, etc. The sky is really the limit. 

Should businesses care about blogging? Absolutely. And there are plenty of ways to get started that don't require a lot of time or money.  

So what are you waiting for?

Posted by at June 26, 2006

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