Noted freelance copywriter and author of more than 50 books, Robert Bly, is no friend of business blogs. Don't get me wrong, his arguments are well-founded and reasonable. I have an immense amount of admiration and respect for Bob and his opinions. (It didn't hurt that he called me a "blogging authority" either!) However, I think that in this case, his is a rush to judgment.

Bob calls business blogs a "pure vanity publication that won’t pay you back even one thin dime for your effort." Ouch! Bob, lighten up man! :-)

First of all, it's not true. My blog has opened doors for me in the business realm that would not have opened otherwise. I'm sure that's true of others. Bob has just not talked to the right people.

Plus, small businesses that blog are finding it to be a great adjunct to other marketing strategies. Just ask J. D. Iles of Lincoln Sign Company what he thinks about blogs.

Now, from a purely economic standard, are blogs proving to be cash cows? Largely no, not yet. But this medium is still in its adolescence, still striding toward the mainstream, and not yet as commonplace as ezines or websites.

Bob does not share the romance that is blogging because he has not tried it. Perhaps that gives him a more objective platform, but some things have to be experienced to be understood. Blogging is one such "thing."

Another concern he presents involves distribution. His issue surrounds the push vs. pull nature of email as opposed to blogs. He asserts "With an e-zine, once the reader subscribes, he gets it delivered to him electronically every week or month or however often you send it. But with a blog, the reader has to go out and proactively look for it. And since your contributions to your blog may be irregular and unscheduled, he has no way of knowing when something new of interest has been added."

First of all, you don't get an ezine without signing up for it. In most cases, that means you've visited a website and subscribed. With the evolution of RSS technology, blogs are syndicated just as easily as email and less fraught with the problems now associated with email. Plus, using tools like Pluck or Bloglines finding blogs on any given topic is not a hassle.

Regarding the publishing cycle, one thing is for certain: Blog posts will happen with much greater freqency that email. Many avid bloggers post at least once daily.

Bob makes one point with which I wholeheartedly agree, though obviously he does not. He says, "The theory is that if you are an information marketer, or if you publish information to establish your expertise in a niche industry or field, blogging should be part of your publishing arsenal."

YES!!!! Blogging should be a part of your publishing arsenal. I can attest to that from a personal perspective. And, as my old granddaddy once told me, "A man with an experience trumps a man with merely an opinion anyday."

Another of Bob's objections is with the ease in which people can post and disseminate content. "The problem is that there is already too much content, and we don’t want or need more." That's true, but I believe the cream rises to the top.

My chief objection to the way Bob characterizes business blogs is that he sees them as "diaries," as "rambling, incoherent and more suited for private thoughts than public consumption."

In its genesis, blogging could be pigeon-holed that way. However, business blogs are coming into their own as vital outlets for information that could not be gleaned elsewhere.

I like what columnist Rich Ord had to say about the genre...

"Blogs are a goldmine of formerly hard to get insight from CEO's, marketing guru's and others who never used to have a public forum. These business leaders are utilizing the internet to convey their personal thoughts on happenings in their industry and life. They are blogging for the same reasons they do public speaking, to build credibility for themselves and their company's. Blogging has become a new … less time consuming and less expensive way to reach potential and current customers."

As blogs evolve they will become as commonplace as email, and will be the home page of many websites, particularly those that are content heavy. The technology will become largely invisible in terms of the nomenclature. (Blog technology will be viewed simply as a content-management or self-publishing system.) Perhaps some of the romance will die too, giving way to more practical types of information.

As the blogging evangelist that I am, I tried some time ago to convert Bob to blogging. From the tenor of the article it didn't work, obviously. But, I ain't givin' up so easily! I believe that if he will give it a fair shake, his will become one of the most highly regarded and frequently visited sites in the blogosphere.

Let me reiterate, I have great respect for Bob and his opinions. In the case, I just think he's looking at it from the outside in. So, come on in Bob. The water is fine!