I asked Bill Flitter, VP of Marketing at Pheedo, to talk about their new RSS ad system, SimpleAds. Here's what he had to say...

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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.)

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.

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.

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Here are a couple of PDFs that would be good to download.

The first is a free guide called Writing for the Web - In Technicolor, published by BusinessLogs.com. It is a primer for blog writing.

The other is a Corporate Blogging Primer that covers the following:

• Corporate Blog - A Definition
• The Nature of Blogs
• Reasons for Corporate Blogging
• Six Types of Corporate Blogs
• 14 Steps to Your Business Blog
• What Corporate Bloggers Say

It's published by Fredrik Wackå, of the Corporate Blogging blog.

Both resources are free and well-worth your time.

There have been many, many definitions posited for what a blog is. But, what is a "business blog?" What separates it from its more personal online journal/diary cousin? I contend there is a salient difference and wish to proffer my own definition.

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Is blogging just an overblown fad or a revolutionary new medium you can't afford to ignore?

B.L. Ochman, noted Internet strategist, PR guru and influential blogger gives you straight talk about blogging. She gives you scores of examples of successful business blogs, advice on what to blog about and why, plus dozens of resources you can use immediately.

I'm going to be the guest at a teleconference tomorrow night hosted by Andy Wibbels of Coachamatic.com. Andy is a blogging evangelist and trainer for entrepreneurs. He hosts these teleconferences on a weekly basis.

All this talk about a business blogging chamber of commerce spurred further thinking. While I do agree with Wayne Hurlbert's assertion that a chamber of commerce is needed, I think what is needed even moreso is an association consisting of professionals who promote the "industry" of business blogging. I assert we need a collective platform from which to promote this new form of self-publishing. So, I've decided to start it!

I'm calling it the Association of Business Blogging Professionals, and membership is open to anyone whose job involves working with corporations and/or small business to help them incorporate blog technology into their business communications.

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