The Blogging Phenomenon
The internet has now entered homes and businesses in much the same way the telephone did when it was introduced. It has made a great difference in the lives of individuals as well as businesses, and to use a blog is to employ one of the most useful tools introduced by this new medium. Whether it’s friends who want to keep in touch, or companies that need to stay connected to their customers, blogging has created new ways to connect.
Blog entries are more like a personal journal than anything else, even when used for business purposes. The word “blog” is a shortened form of “weblog,” which is itself a combination of “web” and “log.” So the blog is like a log of someone’s thoughts on particular topics. The writer posts a blog entry, perhaps once a day, discussing everything from what the cat did that morning, to book reviews, to business information.
Blogging came from dissatisfaction with how the first internet websites worked. Initially, individuals and businesses created sites that were more like encyclopedia or dictionary pages than anything else. All the pages did was to provide information that viewers were to sit and absorb. Eventually, however, designers and viewers recognized that this did nothing to build relationships or to convey that the website owner cared what they thought. Something more personal and even interactive was needed. So the blog phenomenon began as an electronic diary, where people recorded their daily thoughts. Each blog post included a spot for readers to add comments, and eventually communities formed, comprised of people interested in the topics discussed in the blog.
Companies started to make blogs the place where customers would read the latest business news. Blogging presented the information in a much more conversational way, making the presentation more like a chat than a lecture with facts and figures. Those are still on websites, and if someone is interested, he or she can find them as needed. But business is no longer the authority on high, telling customers what is good for them.
Businesses also soon discovered that the other benefit of blogs was the Comments section, where customers could finally give concrete feedback. Through the response to bloggers, companies began learning what their customers actually wanted from them, possibly for the first time. They could eliminate or modify products, improve service, and add services that were in high demand. Customers, in turn, were impressed that they could influence the direction the company took.
Now most companies have recognized how useful and important blogging is to their public relations and prosperity. Whether it’s a small business or a larger firm, learning from and responding to customers’ comments on the company blog helps build loyalty and improve services. Individuals are also relating in new ways, sharing interests with people halfway around the world. If people really want to have an impact on the internet, then this is one of the most effective ways to accomplish that end.
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