Although I would choose just about anything over writing a lengthy research paper, I have never really "blogged" before so this may take some getting used to. Prior to this class when I heard the word blogging I mainly thought of two things; 1) Sports journalists writing opinion pieces that don't quite make the final cut for the newspaper http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/terryfosterblog/index.php. 2) People with nothing better to do than write about where their favorite celebrity had breakfast yesterday morning http://www.perezhilton.com/. While there is nothing wrong with either of these things, or at least the first one, I can honestly say I never thought that I would be blogging as part of the capstone class for my CIS degree.
After a simple Google search on blogging revealed just shy of 700 million matches, I quickly realized how widespread blogging is. There are blogs on everything from sports to politics to religion to yes...celebrity gossip. I then narrowed my search down to "benefits of blogging" thinking there might be some article about how blogging has been scientifically proven to make people better writers or improve vocabulary or something like that...
While I did not find any such articles, I was surprised at what I did find. Nearly every result had something to do with how blogging is increasingly being used as a cheap and effective marketing tool. Having gone through the marketing program here at Eastern I know that the marketing budget for many companies is often VERY limited so anytime there is a cheap opportunity to create business, companies will pounce on it. I don't recall much, if any, mention of this strategy when I graduated a couple years ago so I'm guessing that this concept is fairly new.
Essentially a business owner will start a blog either on their website or as part of a blog community like the one we are using. They can communicate directly to their customers and get feedback on products, policy, etc. They can also comment on other blogs that may have some relation to their products/services and possibly grow their business and find new customers. Now obviously this is more personal with small businesses and Bill Gates is not going to personally talk to you about how you like the new version of Windows, but even companies like Microsoft have blogs which keep their customers informed about new products and updates.
I have attached a quick little video by Direct Horizon which explains some of the business benefits of blogging.
Scott,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I wrote on the same topic as I had a difficult time understanding how I could use blogging in business. It seems as though, in business, people are too busy to read email. Why would they take the time to read a blog? After researching it myself and thinking through examples I realized there are many ways blogging can be valuable in business. The key is to have great content and capture the audience. Our CEO has been blogging and I feel that in doing so he has built a rapport with employees which I never expected. Additionally, reading his blogs are very educational and provide a sense for where some of the business units in the large enterprise fit into the grand scheme.
Scott,
ReplyDeleteVery methodical and well thought out. I was really curious why you didn’t find any articles about why blogging “would make people better writers” or something along that line. So I did a quick search and found this.. I may have to take time and read this blog.
Website: Reason4smile
“Seven benefits of blogging to your personal growth
When blogging is your hobby
1. You’re becoming better at words”
(http://www.reason4smile.com/2008/02/12/seven-benefits-of-blogging-to-your-personal-growth/)
I am in the same baot as you Scott, as this my first time blogging as well. I had never given much thought to blogging as a useful tool before this class, i naively thought most blogging was people rambling about their lives and what was going on with them at that point in time. After hearing the professors comments and some reasearch i can definately see it's usefulness within the work environment.
ReplyDeleteScott, I feel that blogging is one of the most expedient ways of communicating current information. Studies have been conducted that conclude that sites that blogged received 55% more visitors than those that did not. Nowadays, with the state of the economy, everyone is striving to attract new audiences. With blogging,"content is king," and the possibilities of what can be accomplished seem endless. Happy Blogging everyone!
ReplyDeleteI like the statistic provided by patty. It's such a proof that blogging is a powerful tool that if utilized well can be beneficial indeed. Scott, I like the part in your video that talks about how frequent blogging can increase your traffic which eventually lead to the company name being put out there by potential search engines
ReplyDelete