With so much hype and hearsay surrounding blogs, anyone can easily misunderstand their purpose and functionality. In fact, we’re still learning new things about blogs every day despite being experts!
Here’s a Quick History Lesson on Blogs:

First called “web logs,” blogs became mainstream in 2004, at a time when writers used blogs heavily to comment on politics, policy and just about anything else.

For the better part of the early 2000s and late 1990s, blogs traditionally acted as a personal publishing system for people to post their own thoughts and muses on the Internet. Many refer to this model of blogging as the “diary” method.

Since, blogs have evolved into strong commentary machines that affect everything from politics to news reporting to the everyday lives of many Americans.

In recent years, more and more businesses and companies have begun employing blogs to better connect with customers.

Aren’t Blogs Just a Bunch of Personal Rants?

Not at all.

Blogs are used for content publishing by people such as GM exec Bob Lutz, Martha Stewart and my kid brother.

Web readers have come to look to blogs as producers of the latest and greatest industry news and commentary. Blogs allow consumers keep up with the latest goings-on of their favorite companies and they help businesses establish authority and thought leadership within their respective industries.
The message your blog sends is entirely up to you.

How Do Blogs Work?

Blogs are operated software installed on a personal web server or by a professional web service, such as Movable Type’s TypePad and Google’s Blogger.

Free options include WordPress, a leading open-source blog platform, and Blogger.

When using blog software, users are able to type in entries much like they would type an email. A blog writer creates a title of the post (like a subject of an email) and then enters the entry body’s content.
Then hit publish, and your content instantly hits the web!

Blogs usually employ reverse-chronological order publishing to keep the freshes content at the top of the website and help website visitors find the latest content quickly and easily.

Certainly, a lot of technology and backend wiring helps new content get into the web and indexed by search engines, such as Google, but we don’t have to worry about that. As you read through this series, you will gain a better understanding of how content makes it from your blog to other places on the web and how to get your content in front of your target audiences.

Business and corporate blogging has become an essential part of establishing and maintaining many companies’ online presence.

By joining the blogosphere, your company becomes uniquely positioned to converse with with its clients in a very real and honest way. Any many B2C and event B2B customers appreciate the increased dialogue.

But what is it about blogging that makes the practice necessary for your business and how do you get started?

In this how to blog for business series, we will discuss:

• What are Blogs?
• How do Business and Corporate Blogs Differ from ‘Normal’ Blogs?
• How do You Identify Blogs in Your Industry?
• How to Plan Your Business’s Blog
• How to Know What to Write in Your Company Blog
• How to Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Company’s Blog
• How to Find Readers for Your Company Blog

We’d love to hear about your blogging experiences. Please share them on any of these posts!