Is Blogging For You? Take This Quick Quiz

What The Hell Is A Blog Anyway?

The word 'blog' is a shortened version of 'web blog'. A 'web log' just means a log or diary-type entry on the web. So if you were away travelling on a round the world trip you might post a diary on a website so your friends and family could keep up to date with your progress. On this online diary, or 'web blog' you might also post photos for your friends and family to view.

And so - the BLOG was born. And it's really nothing more than that - a collection of thoughts and information from one individual to be read and seen by others.

So What Makes A Blog Different To A Website?

A blog is more immediate and informal. A blog doesn't have a homepage as such - it just has blog entries or 'posts'. The author or 'blogger' makes regular posts into the blog that are archived as new ones are added.

The main difference between a website and a blog is that a blog is designed to be added to much more frequently than a website. Some blogs are added to by their authors once a day or more! But it has to be said that such bloggers are in the minority.

**Is Blogging For You?

Well, it provides you with a unique opportunity to keep in close contact with a specific group of people. The CEO of a company may choose to launch a blog to keep in touch with staff members and shareholders. As a business-owner you might want to start a blog to let your customers or suppliers know what is happening in your business.

Blogs are not for everyone, so here's a few key questions to ask yourself.

** Question 1

Do you want to keep in close contact, on a one-to-one basis with a specific group of individuals?

** Question 2

Do you have the time to add a new and valuable information to your blog at least once a week? (Or can you pay someone to do this on your behalf?)

** Question 3

Do you find that people are always coming to you wanting more information about your product or services and that maybe posting regular updates on the Internet about this might free up your time to be spent on other activities?

** Question 4

Are you offering information products or services that you can provide 'tasters' of in a blog?

If you find yourself answering yes to most of these question then you should seriously consider starting your very own blog.

It's A Gut Feel Thing

Ultimately the decision comes down to whether you have things to say to others on a one-to-one basis. Unlike many websites you see out there, a blog is very much a person-to-person experience. A corporate blog wouldn't really work unless you had a face and name that people could put to all the posts.

It's also worth noting that a blog can be a two-way communication tool. Most of the blog software available includes options for readers to be able to post comments in response to what has been written. This can be an excellent marketing and research tool for your business if handled in the right way.

Whatever you do - don't take the decision to start a blog lightly. It can be a big commitment and once you've started out on that road there's no going back. People will be regularly checking your blog after you've publicised it and the pressure is then on to deliver readable material on a regular basis.

Some Blogging Software To Consider

Typepad - very popular and comes with a free trial and upgrade options: http://www.typepad.com BlogHarbour - also comes with a free 30-day trial http://www.blogharbor.com Blogger - the 'grand daddy' of blogging http://www.blogger.com

Happy blogging!

My blog: http://michaelcheney.typepad.com

Michael Cheney is Author of The Website Marketing BibleTM. Take the Free 7-Part Course "Internet Marketing Made Easy" and get your free sampler of 'The Bible' here: http://www.websitemarketingbible.com/marketin g/

---

15 Top Blog Marketing Tips

1. Place all your feeds on the following website and... Read More

RSS Meets the Needs of Direct Marketers

Contrary to general opinion, RSS meets the needs of even... Read More

Blogging on Ecademy Will Boost Your Web Site

For many people blogging is the way in which they... Read More

Starting Your Own Blog

I was sitting in my local Internet Cafe yesterday, I... Read More

The Right Blog Software Can Make A Blog Stand Out from the Crowd

Blogs are an easy way to get your voice out... Read More

Blogging Is Not Important - Its Crucial

It has been established that having a 'blog' helps your... Read More

Why Journal Writing On The Web? Blogs Are Journals Giving Anyone An Identity, And An Awesome Forum

Journal writing used to be a private, personal experience done... Read More

The Idiot?s Step-By-Step Guide To Blogging for Profit

Blogging is easy, blogging is fun. And what's more?it can... Read More

3 Ways to Publish RSS

As RSS news syndication gains popularity among users, new ways... Read More

RSS Feeds Explosion

Gain Massive Exposure For Your ServiceGet your web site listed... Read More

6 Reasons Why RSS Beats Email Marketing

A brand new marketing tool predicted to replace email is... Read More

Update Your Websites Content Automatically 24/7 Using RSS(Real Simple Syndication) and RSS Feeds

RSS(Real Simple Syndication) is the newest form of content syndication... Read More

Using Feedburner to Add Statistics to Your RSS Feed

Out of many of the free RSS and blogging services... Read More

Blogs and RSS - Why Do I Need This Stuff?

If you've been under a rock for the last year... Read More

How Direct Sales Reps Can Use Blogging

One of the tools that a smart direct sales representative... Read More

Top 10 Places to Find the Most Popular Blogs

The easiest way to get acquainted with the conventions of... Read More

RSS, Feeds, and Aggregators

When you work online all the time, immersed in bits... Read More

How to Activate The Firefox Live Bookmark Feature on Your Site

Live Bookmark is Mozilla's response to offering RSS feeds through... Read More

Is a Blog Right For Your Business?

Lemmings are cute, but dumb. If you tell them... Read More

Prescription Blogs are Helping to Educate the Consumers on Prescription Consumption

Blogs are being used on a more consistent basis due... Read More

The Best Marketing Tool For Your RSS Feed and Its Free

Do a search on Blogs on Yahoo and you get... Read More

What Are RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds.RSS also known as rich site summary or real... Read More

Top 6 Reasons for Having a RSS Feed - Come and Explore the Possibilities!

Getting traffic to your website can be hard. No one... Read More

What is a Blog?

Q: Not to ask a ridiculously obvious question, but what... Read More

Why Every Artist Needs a Blog & How to Create an Artist Blog

As an artist, the key to selling more artwork is... Read More

Internet News Services Explode Online

It seems no matter how much information comes available online,... Read More

Top 10 Reasons to Start Blogging

"What's blogging?" you ask."Where have you been?" I reply...just kidding,... Read More

Writing Good Blogs

There's a lot of blogs out there on the Web,... Read More

Who Would Use RSS

My previous two articles "What is RSS and Why use... Read More

Benefits to RSS

RSS streamlines communication between publishers and readers. Since RSS has... Read More

Marketing With Blogs - Part 4

In the first three parts of this article series on... Read More

To Blog Or Not To Blog - A Laymans View

We have now entered the world of blogs! Sounds kind... Read More

The Key To Marketing With Blogs

I've spent months answering questions from marketers about blogs and... Read More