Part 2 of the Acceptability of Online Blogging as a Business Venture

Originally intended to be just another virtual pastime for the typical netizen, blogging has now turned big time.

For those who haven’t tried blogging or have yet to know what this cybercraze means, blogging in simple terms can be likened to a “personal diary” made open on webspace for everyone to read. And unlike, the typical diary a people bring along everywhere they go, a blog never sleeps. It runs on a 24/7 basis to add or modify the contents anytime. What’s more interesting is that, a blogger can post pictures or articles he thinks that reflect his interest or personal views.

Because of its “personal” nature, blogs make it very appealing to readers for its casual, candid and intimate way of communicating an idea or subject matter. It is also for the same reason that many companies leverage the blogosphere to say about their products or services to be able to reach to customers without being bland or impersonal as most customers think about a typical company or business website.

And because of its power to intimate a marketing communication effectively, blogs have now become a sales machine for companies of any size. Some of the most noted bloggers in Fortune Magazine’s Top 500 Corporations include: GM, Fedex, Pepsi, Disney, Dell, Google, Shell and Avon to name a few.

Also, companies developing new products or services always need feedback and inputs. By taking the step to allow this feedback to take place on a blog, you are allowing discussions and generating ideas which can be invaluable to the process. Added to this, you have a group of people who have contributed to the product and so are likely to be your customers later.

Now advertisers are realizing there is a market emerging in the blogosphere. Already, the growth in regular online advertising, estimated to be about 35% this year, will far outpace the spending increases for any other sector of the media world. Add to all this the fact that about 11% of Internet users today are inveterate blog readers, and the blogging scene starts to get mighty compelling for marketers. The blogging movement is picking up speed as businesses begin to realize the benefits of blogging.