Last Wednesday evening I had the privilege of being the guest speaker in a teleclass with Coachamatic's Andy Wibbels on the subject of business blogging for solo entrepreneurs. Here's a link to the audio of that interview. It's 55 min. long and weighs 16 MB.

(I only stuck my foot in my mouth about four times too! Or, maybe that's 4 X 2.)

It seems everywhere I look these days, I see another article on blogging written by Steve Rubel. If you don't know Steve, you should. He is a PR guy in NYC and an avid blogger. In fact, a couple of his latest posts spur me toward recommending him as "Blogging's Goodwill Ambassador."

Here they are. See you if you agree.

The Long Tail of the Blogosphere - Blogging has changed the face of the media. This article sends a wake-up call to marketers to take notice.

The Bloggers Should be TIME's People of the Year - I said back in August that 2004 is the Year of the Blog. Steve has upped the anty by proclaiming that not a single person or persons have had a greater influence on society than bloggers this year. Steve, I wholeheartedly agree!

So, who wants to join me in a vote by acclamation that Steve Rubel should be Bloggings Goodwill Ambassador!

My good friend Zane Safrit, CEO of Conference Calls Unlimited, has posted some thoughtful comments on this notion of a business blogger chamber of commerce or professional association, whichever you prefer.

Zane is conversant enough with the short-lived history of blogging to understand its roots, its nature, and its personality. Bloggers, by reputation, are somewhat akin to wild west outlaws, renegades, or rebels -- voices outside the mainstream that expose political and societal inequities. (Rathergate, the infamous Trent Lott gaffe, to name but a couple.) The renegade spirit of blogging crosses over into the business realm as well. My favorite CEO blog, Mark Cuban's BlogMaverick.com is a prime example.

Zane expresses concern that a business blogging association might serve to rein in that independent spirit and seek to exercise editorial purview over what is being said.

Zane, that is not the intent at all so far as I'm concerned.

Here are some ways I see an organizational entity like this functioning:

1. As a advocacy vehicle to promote the cause of business blogging.
2. As a clearinghouse of educational information and opportunities (such as conferences and workshops) to help small businesses learn how to use blogs for marketing and promotional purposes.
3. As a meeting place for bloggers in a given niche to network and share ideas.
4. As a townhall to discuss issues such as advertising in blogs, legal ethics, the future of blogging, etc..
5. As a speaker's bureau for business blogging consultants and trainers.

I think Zane and I might be like the blind men who touched different parts of an elephant, then attempted to describe the animal in keeping with the part they touched. The man holding the tail thought of the elephant as a rope-like creature, while the man who touched the flank understood it to be more like a wall.

Not everyone who uses a blog for business purposes is seeking to engender controversy. Some folks use it in very practical ways strictly as a marketing communications tool. I guess that's how I see the medium, as a way to promote one's business by providing useful information and personal insights.

These need not be devoid of personality either. A favorite small business blog is run by the owners of Horsefeathers restaurant up in New Hampshire. Their blog is informative, personable and funny. It allows Horsefeathers to have a current, relevant web presence geared to topics that capture the interests of their guests. 

While blogging may appeal to the anarchist in all of us, that is not where I see it headed in a business sense. And, while I want to preserve the heritage of blogging as that "lone voice crying in the wilderness," I see its very practical side too.

Zane has agreed to be a participant in a conference call I've scheduled for next week. He, along with the others who've agreed to attend, should provide some lively repartee and substantive discussion that I hope will make an impact on the future of business blogging.

This from Business Week Online. . .

While Web log entreprenuers search for a viable business model, venture capitalists are backing companies that make it all possible. . .Truth is, the fledgling blogging industry's business model is closer to a question mark than a dollar sign.

Two things:

First, small businesses have a blogging business model. We use blogs to market (i.e., create a conversation about) our business, connect with our customers, and humanize the face of our business. We don't depend on blogs to make our living for us, but to illuminate us in the minds of customers/clients/prospects.

Second, the fact that a blogging business model is still a 'shadowy vision lurking in the mist' is yet another reason (perhaps the prime reason) to form a professional association, chamber of commerce, or alliance, whatever you want to call it, to promote the industry.

I have extended an invitation to an A-list of business blogging professionals to join me on a conference call to discuss forming such an association.

BTW, this meme is beginning to garner some attention. I'm getting emails from business bloggers who have indicated interest, and Wayne Hurlbert is certainly a "partner-in-crime" on this, as is Yvonne Divita. (It was Wayne's idea in the first place.) Therefore, so far as I'm concerned, it will happen.

Nathan Enns, CEO of FyberSearch, has just acquired FeedPlex, a feed search engine that provides Internet users the ability to find data in XML/RSS format on the web.

What intriques me the most about this is that Nathan is only 20 years old! (Maybe still 19!)

Anthony Caslena, CEO of SquareSpace.com, is only 22 and making big waves with his publishing platform.

The internet belongs to these young netrepreneurs, and I herald their coming. Old dogs like me just rent space from them!

Someone said "It's not how many seeds are in an apple that counts, but how many apples are in a seed."

Many bloggers look to their hit count as a gauge of success. Many hits, much success. Few hits. . .well, you get the picture.

I check my traffic stats everyday, but don't tie my self-worth to it. Sure, blogging may be somewhat ego-centric, but there's no need to make it a popularity contest.

Click to read more ...

Debbie Weil just got back from this year's Ad:Tech in NYC and all I got were links to these blog posts.

-20% of U.S. Internet users have visited a top-ranked blog

-Blogs as the new (improved) online publishing model

Come on, Debbie, the least you could have done was a T-shirt. :-)

If blogging had a Bible, this article featuring Jeff Jarvis, president and creative director of Advance.net, would be a book in it. If you want to see the future, then read this prophecy. 

BTW, it's the first in a two-month series of articles on the future of digital media being conducted by Ernest Miller.

(This piece covers so much ground I had no clue as to how to even categorize it.)

I came across an ebook the author said could be given away, so I am. It's 50 Ways to Promote Your Website. Some of them are obvious, and some not. At the very least it might give you some ideas you hadn't thought of. Click here to download it.

I recently subscribed to the Blog News Alerts at Topix.net. I am ferreting through the dozens of blogging related headlines to find some to pass along to you. Here's the first installment in what may become a weekly list...

Click to read more ...