What is a Blog? How Can I Use a Blog?

I am cross-posting this from my Modern Mediasphere blog

Blogs are the every-person’s publishing tool.  The simplest definition of a blog - or weblog - is a personal, topical web site that is frequently updated.  Corporate executives, journalists, marketers, freelancers, advertisers, politicians, and citizens of the world have taken to publishing blogs, moving them from personal journals to a modern influential media form.

Estimates of the current number of blogs might surprise you if you aren’t tuned into the blog-o-sphere. One hundred million worldwide and growing at a rate of about one new blog per second.  Creating a blog is fast, and is as easy as filling out a web form.  But what makes them so alluring – and powerful - is blogs’ social nature, their populist culture, and their immediacy.

In short, blogs are a channel that is totally remodeling the flow of information.

Blogs have a set of features that distinguish them from a traditional web page – but keep in mind these features are not about the technology.  These characteristics turn a simple web page into a social network, a lone voice into an influential one and a local conversation into a global one.

The four features, in particular, that distinguish blogs are:

Posts: A single blog entry is called a post.  Posts are often short, are conversational and time-stamped, displayed with the newest post on top. The time-stamps create a sense of proximity to the writer for the reader.

Syndication:   This is the “motion potion” of blogs.  Blogs are automatically syndicated through a feature called RSS - “Really Simple Syndication.” RSS is a tiny bit of code embedded in the blog that allows readers to subscribe to an automatic “feed” of all blog entries.  As soon as an author posts a blog entry, the post can be "pulled" by the subscriber.  Subscribers receive these posts through software integrated into their web browser or through a separate application called a “news reader.”  RSS also makes it possible for blog content to be distributed automatically onto other web sites or blogs.

Comments:  Each post invites readers to comment via a small web form immediately under the post.  Comments are published with the related blog post. Blog readers can read both the author’s posts and the comments of other readers.  The author is notified when a comment is posted to their blog.  Blog authors may comment back, or enter new posts.  Comments keep the conversation moving forward on that individual blog.

Trackbacks:  The conversation continues among blogs too.  Trackbacks interconnect blogs.  A trackback is a method for one blogger to publish a special type of post directly onto someone else’s blog. It works by entering a post on your own blog, then entering the URL of your post into the trackback feature of another blog.  Your trackback post, and the link to it, is published on that other blog.  Authors are notified when a trackback link is entered into their blog.   Trackbacks intertwine multiple blogs and conversations.

There are a few other common features that categorize and organize blog posts and link blogs or web pages together, but these are the four that have turned the flow of information from broadcast media to conversation commons.

What Does it Mean?

Blogs are at least as significant a development as the printing press was – and more so because of their interconnectedness and social network nature.  It means we – all of us – now hold the keys to the information kingdom.  We no longer rely on mass media for our news, information, or gossip.  It means anyone can publish a globally accessible channel in seconds. 

Blogs are disturbing every form of business communication. Blogs have already had a profound effect on mass media and consumer behaviors.  Traditional TV and print media outlets as well as individual journalists are creating blogs.  Consumers are blogging about everything from politics to mothering; using blogs as a complement to mass media and as a trusted source to check on mass media.  Even executives of Fortune 500 companies have started blogging to ensure their company’s story is told in the worldwide conversation and to personally engage constituents.

Blogs are a communications fact of life.  If you join in, the conversation is happening with you.  If you aren’t involved, it is happening without you and about you.   And, being in the dark is not a good competitive strategy.

What is it Good For?

Understanding the power of blogs requires that you blog.  It isn’t something to simply study.  Try Blogger, Typepad, Bloglines, Blogstream or one of the many other services, and have your blog up and running in less than 5 minutes for free or nearly free.      

In the meantime, here are just a few blogs selected from the 100 million or so.

• The writers of the hit TV show, Grey’s Anatomy, are blogging; talking directly to their fans and offering it as a gathering point for its fans.  It is a fascinating case study.

• General Motors’ Vice Chairman is blogging to engage customers, but also as a way not to leave the last word to mainstream media reports, according its author, Bob Lutz.

• PR agencies like Edelman, Ogilvy and Hill and Knowlton are blogging – mostly about the changing communications landscape.

• 101 Cookbooks, by Heidi Swanson, is a chronicle of a cookbook collection. She is a photographer and cookbook author whose website is a blog – a well-read one, with nearly 700 other sites linking to hers.  She has sponsors, markets her classes and her own recipes, and offers an opt-in newsletter.

• McDonalds' Open for Discussion blog focuses on the company's social responsibility initiatives.

• Charlene Li, a Forrester Research analyst, blogs about how technology is affecting content delivery, media and advertising.

• Major broadcast and print media, like CBS, NBC, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal to name a few are using blogs as a way to provide additional content. 

• Overheard in New York.  Two New Yorkers have gathered bits of overhead conversations and published them on a blog.  They now have thousands of submissions – and have just published a print book of selected conversations.

Find more at Google Blog Search or Technorati Blog Finder.

So, what are blogs good for?  Almost any type of communication.  The trick here is that this is two-way communication, not a controlled website.  Blogs are both the talking part and the listening part.  Blogs are good for taking part in the marketplace conversation, the political conversation or your industry conversation. 

Here are a few ideas to get you going:

• Publish your newsletter online as a blog.  The syndication feature will build readership, and provide your readers a way to join in.

• Establish your expertise by publishing a blog on a topic you are passionate about.

• Publish industry thought leadership articles to a blog.  Search engines like blogs and this is a way to increase search engine visibility and distribution.  You don’t have to wait for or pitch them to the industry rags.

• Use blogs internally to keep everyone apprised of ongoing projects.

• Create an “ideas” blog on which team members can create an archive of best practices or good ideas.

• Create a citizens blog around a community issue.

• Create a non-public blog to communicate with a client or contractor on the progress of a project – it is easier to organize than email and creates a chronological, time-stamped archive.

• Create a “blog event” by inviting guest experts to post on a specific topic during a particular week or month.

• Create a photo blog on which you publish pictures of a special event, for ongoing team building, an archival history of a project, or a  “behind-the-scenes” peek.

• Use a blog as a pointer to topical resources for your clients or internal teams.

• Market yourself!

From here, it is up to you.  The conversation about how to communicate with audiences has changed.  Audiences find you.  Be where they are - the blogosphere is one of those "places."