Blogs Rule Business

Websites are no longer the controlling factor in successful business. Only a couple decades ago, we were all impressed that we could post a basic text document on the web. This was how most websites were. Now we have websites that are very interactive and have many more features than just plain text. Users can interact and even change the format of the website according to their preferences. Blogs are doing much the same thing. People are now in control of everything with blogs. Blogging sites such as Blogger.com and Blogsome.com offer free blog sites for anyone who wants one.

Jeremiah Owyang, partner of the Customer Strategy Altimeter Group, said "Many web marketers are under the impression that the battles are only fought within Google search results and on the corporate domain. In reality, marketing has spread to many other areas where conversations occur: social networks, rating sites, chat rooms, and even blogs." (Owyang, 2007) Owyang says that companies now have to worry about other conversational areas; one of these being blogs. The companies have to do so because the customer is now in command of just about everything. Companies were the ones that used to be in charge, but now as communication becomes faster and easier, customers are changing the way we think business. This major change has been fueled by the evolution of blogs. One is instantly connected to an expert's opionion or thousands of customer ratings on products. Companies now have to worry more about an effective blog instead of an effective website.


Works Cited

Owyang, J. (2007, May 29). Web Strategy: How To Evolve Your Irrelevant Corporate Website. Retrieved September 28, 2009, from Web-Strategist.com: http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2007/05/29/web-strategy-how-to-evolve-your-irrelevant-corporate-website/

Business Strategy transformed by Blogs

Blogs are very new to me and I was even a little skeptical about them; I guess that may partly because I've never used them. However, as I have now had the time to take a brief introductory course on blogs, I think that they are a very important tool for communication. On May 2, 2005, BusinessWeek published an article all about blogging and the effects of it on business. The authors, Stephen Baker and Heather Green, said, "you cannot afford to close your eyes to them[blogs], because they're simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they're going to shake up just about every business. Given the changes barreling down upon us, blogs are not a business elective. They're a prerequisite." (Baker & Green, 2005) I totally agree and would say that businesses need to be aware of what is out there.

Blogs can be a very helpful tool in improving customer satisfcation, product quality, and just a great forum for discussion. On the other hand, if companies aren't too careful about bloggers who attack their company, they may be faced with a huge problem. Again Baker and Green state, "companies have to learn to track what blogs are talking about, pinpoint influential bloggers, and figure out how to buttonhole them, privately and publicly." (Baker & Green, 2005) More and more companies are now finding that they need to have professionals monitoring and directing these blogs. In conclusion, blogs are changing the way we communicate in business. We need to know what people are saying and how to effectively communicate back.

Works Cited
Baker, S., & Green, H. (2005, May 2). Blogs will Change Your Business. BusinessWeek , p. Cover Story.