Over the last twelve months, business leaders have grudgingly, warily, come to realize that blogging is a force that must be used—or at least accounted for—in their communications strategies. Companies are increasingly using blogs to communicate to both internal and external audiences. But blogs have also become a thorn in the side of these very same companies—witness the many vitriolic blogs posted by former employees and disgruntled customers.
Clearly, we need to better understand the "blogosphere," and this site, created by Swedish publications professional Fredrik Wackå, provides a good background to what blogs are, who uses them, and how businesses can use them to their advantage.
The site offers blogging basics (What is it? Why do it? How to read them? How to publish them?), testimonials from corporate bloggers, and examples of effective blogs, primarily in Europe.
Wackå points out that a blog can be a great tool for entrepreneurs and small-business people as well as larger corporations. He offers an interview from realtor John Mudd, who uses his blog to keep in touch with old clients and network with new ones. And there are other benefits, Mudd says. Journalists get story ideas from his blog, which provides him with valuable publicity. Blog on!