Blogs - Do you really read them?

Dont even know what a blog is really, as i dont read them. not something i have seen to be of interest.

I think virtually marry is a blogger, she might be able to answer this one. but i could be wrong lol

I have used blogs on all the sites I have done and it seems to increase results withih some search engines but it has to be relevant to your site etc!

I blog on a personal basis and as a disability activist. I blog about once a week, participate on forums on a daily basis, I tweet whenever I feel I have something to say, and I follow about thirty blogs for online friends as well as reading single posts that are linked to by the people I respect. I love being part of the blogging community. In terms of reading, it's both educational and entertaining; in terms of writing, it's something I'm good at and there is an audience for my topics.

My personal blog has been boosted by links and online community involvement. I have a good reputation on that side. I participate in events and I have the sort of network that you only get from several years of immersion. However I'm trying to keep the personal and business sides as separate as possible - as long as I have any say in it, none of my personal public output will include my business name, and none of my business public output will include my personal screen name.

This is mostly because of problems with trolls. I get a troll on the personal blog, I can ignore it - it doesn't bother me in the slightest if some twit decides to reel off a broadside about f-ing cripple scroungers blah blah blah, it just means I've "made it" as a blogger.

However on a business blog, that same troll comment becomes a part of my business presence and all of my customers can read it... ugh, no thanks. Of course it's possible to delete troll comments but that antagonises them into google bombs, etc, for which I really don't have the time or the energy. A blog with comments turned off kind of defeats the object.

In business terms, on first engaging with a company I'll be interested to read infrequent and relevant blog entries, that say things like "We have officially opened our new store in Anytown, Mr Celebrity attended to cut the ribbon and a marvellous time was had by all, here are some pictures." This one is a good example - she blogs when she has news or new product pictures to share, and to a new visitor it gives a good picture of her core business. But I'll get irritated if a blog is just full of meaningless waffle and links to tired news stories that I have to wade through to get to the relevant information simply because the person running it feels obliged to post something, anything, every Friday.

I've never felt compelled to follow a company blog, although I do sometimes follow company Twitter feeds if they are interesting. I also like to follow links to particular individual blog entries that provide interesting commentary to relevant news topics.

I have no idea whether this has answered your question or not. So much for me complaining about waffle.

I don't really understand blogging, is it a bit like twitter but in greater detail? I got a blog section on my website but have no clue what to put in it!

Blogging is simply your personal interface to the world. Blogging software follows a standard format, allowing people to leave comments and feedback to your post (a little like a forum) but gives more flexibility than a static webpage, and usally has the ablitly to very quickly edit and upload new blogs via an editor.

Blogging traditionally belonged in the niche markets, and was seen as cool and new. Anyone who had something to say could start a blog. The likes of Google let you sign up and start your own blog for free, giving instant accessibility to everyone.

Then business got involved.

Traditonal business has struggled with creating an online identity, and a good vehicle for that was a blog. Stuffy corporate copy can be softened when writing a blog, and it can give a very human voice to an organisation. But the downside is that a blog has now become part of the internet "must haves", and as Mary says, blogs can be saturated with waffle or rhetoric.

But from a business point of view, blogs can be useful. Its a way of adding indexable content to your site if you host your own blog, or you can use it as a source of SEO links if using a third parties, ie add some anchor text back to your website, but keep it minimal.

I try and do a blog no more than once a month, and to be honest, that tends to be every 2 months, but I'm starting to use interesting posts from a variety of forums as subject matter, and try and keep it informative as opposed to salesy. Don't let anyone beat you up on your copy, blogs reflect an indvidual and personality, so be yourself.

Heres my latest effort..
Web Hosting ? maybe the most critical aspect of your online business? The Blog!

I also think it makes a difference what your business is.

If, say, you run a charity rescuing animals from neglect, then it makes great sense to have a regularly updated blog about every successful job you take on or complete successfully. Telling visitors to your site that you've just rescued a half-drowned kitten, or that Fido (rescued six months ago) has recovered to a clean bill of health and he has now been placed with a loving family... it's going to make you money. I'll also be interested to learn that my payment has gone towards purchasing a new van for rescuing distressed animals.

If, on the other hand, you are an accountant, I will have no interest in reading that you have taken on a job for Fred's Chip Shop or closed the books for the year on the Paperclips Ltd account. Nor will I care that my payment has bought a new set of filing cabinets.

I agree with Steve that it can create a fantastic "human face" for a business but I'm not convinced that every business needs one.

I think marry has hit the nail on the head with this one.
With my business, a blog would make no diff to me, as if i had a some special offer to run, it would have to be on my site, for pepps to click and think thats a bargain and buy.

on the personal note, which is info about something, something for people to come and read on how something is going, that they have an interest in, i think its a great thing, like mary said.

sean

I follow a couple of blogs and I also have my own. I think they're good, as you've been saying, if it is a particular topic you're interested in. The ones I watch are other pet portrait artists who post the various stages of their paintings and I find it fascinating to see how they achieve their end result. I've been doing a similar thing and as the progress is ongoing, I do post quite regularly. I do it primarily so as people can see a personal aspect to the business - it's a great showcase for the care and attention to detail given to each painting. Mine's here if you want to have a look.

I follow some blogs too ... but to be honest there are so many out there and well most of them are not that good ... The best way to follow blogs in your field is with something like google reader .. it will feed all the blog posts into one place for you to go through and pick the articles that are relevant to you.
I guess they take up a fair bit if time to maintain and ultimately the question would be : will my business/campaign or what ever you are contemplating using it for would benefit from this? i guess it is an an investment... and like any investment you will want returns from it .