Just spoke with my friend Yvonne Divita regarding the Business Blogging Boot Camp she just completed. Though a few tweaks are needed regarding the schedule and agenda, she indicated it was a resounding success!

I'm trying to convince her to take the "show on the road" and schedule boot camps in other locales. Yvonne says she is willing to do that. She would want to keep the group size to 10 or 12 participants and probably hold the boot camp over a two-day period so as not to overwhelm participants with too much information on one day.

If you are a small business blogger and would be interested in seeing Yvonne come to your area, drop her a line. I know she'd be happy to hear from you.

A recent press release says 71% of marketers reported time as a key concern in managing a business blog for their company or organization according to results from a survey done by WordBiz.com.

In an effort to educate marketing professionals and business owners about the usefulness of blogging as a business tool, Debbie Weil, publisher of award-winning WordBiz Report, is offering an audio conference, “BlogWrite,” on how to minimize the time it takes to write and maintain a business blog.

Presenting the live teleseminar with her is Don K. Crowther, a former Fortune 500 brand manager and currently an Internet marketing and publicity consultant. The 75-minute live audio event (dial in by phone from your desk) is October 20, 2004 from 1:00 – 2:15 PM EST. The cost for the teleconference is $79, or $89 if you want the audio CD and enhanced PDF transcript

Seth Godin is one. So is Tom Peters. You could be too. What am I talking about? Becoming a thought leader.

What is a thought leader?

Other than being a nice title to add to your resume, according to a post at Elise.com a thought leader is. . .

"A recognized leader in one’s field. What differentiates a thought leader from any other knowledgeable company, is the recognition from the outside world that the company deeply understands its business, the needs of its customers, and the broader marketplace in which it operates."

Isn't that how you wish to be regarded?

How does one become a thought leader?

According to Elise it requires a change in mindset.

"Thought leadership requires a spirit of generosity - generosity of one's time, intelligence and knowledge. It requires a trust that by being open with what you know, and by sharing your time and knowledge, the world will reward your efforts."

Elise lists seven ways to become a thought leader, and several of them have direct bearing on blogging. They are: write, spread the word, and use your website. When you blog you do all three!

Check out her post, and consider this yet another reason to add a blog to your marketing communications. More reasons to come!

When it all comes down to it, from a technical standpoint a blog is really just an easy-to-use content management system. There are certainly other options on that front, though most not as robust as a blog in terms of the features it offers, such as archiving by date and category, or reverse chronology posting that is timestamped.

However, there is another aspect to blogging that really makes it the unique marvel it has become. This has to do with style, the way blogs are written. And that's really what I want to talk about in this post.

Blogging from a technical standpoint could be used for any kind of information updates, whether it be press releases, product updates, news, or more personal commentary. I mean, let's face it, the application doesn't care what kind of content is put into its form fields. It's going to do what it does regardless.

In my estimation the thing that differentiates a blog from any other form of content publishing is the style in which a blog post is written. Blogs beg to be written in an informal, punchy, and shall we say "authentic" voice, what Doc Searls calls an email to everyone. Blogs need to reflect the passions, bias, thoughts and judgments of the writer. They need to have heart as well as substance.

But, even that does not fully convey the power of blogs. We have to go back to the technology side to complete the picture. Blogging technology provides an ability to do something no other content management medium does -- stimulate conversation.

Comment and trackback components available on most blogging platforms enable others to respond to the post and link to it from their blogs in such a way that the link is referenced on your site. One can literally track the progression of a thought (a meme) from its source across the web. Add to that the ability to syndicate content through RSS, and you have an all-in-one tool to promote your business.

If you simply need a content management system to keep your website updated, I recommend blog technology. It does a great job! However, if you really want to tap into the "power of the blog" begin to talk about your passions as related to your business. See it's potential as a marketing and PR tool that can engage customers and prospects in a way no other online format can.

There is a reason blogging is taking the online world by storm. Maybe you should investigate its potential to help your small business grow.

Be sure and attend BlogWrite, a teleseminar on how to write a business blog, featuring Debbie Weil and Don K. Crowther.

The date is Wednesday, Oct. 20, from 1 - 2:15 PM EST.

If you've stayed awake at night wondering who should write your business blog, what you should write about, and how often, wonder no more! You can put the "counting sheep" out to pasture! You're questions will be answered!

Here are the key points to be covered:

- do you need to write your blog yourself?

- should it be edited?

- what writing style or voice is appropriate?

- what topics will most engage your audience?

- how will you measure the return on your blogging efforts?

- how does a blog fit in with an e-newsletter?

And, in the event, they don't cover a question you have, there will be time for participants' questions.

The cost for the teleseminar ranges from $79 to $89 depending on how much stuff you want to get with it (MP3 audio, CD, transcript, etc.).

My newest blogging buddy, Yvonne Divita, president of Windsor Media Enterprises and the Lipsticking blog, is hosting the Business Blogging Boot Camp.

Because the event happens this Friday, October 15, it may be just a tad late to mention it. (I only found out about it yesterday.) But if you're in the Chicagoland area, you might want to attend. I can tell you this, having seen the promotional brochure, while the price is a bit steep for my taste, the content is right on the money for any small business considering starting a blog.

More and more I'm hearing the word "mainstream" used in association with the term "business blogging."

No longer is this publishing miracle tool an esoteric, marginally-considered, shadowy medium solely in the possession of geeks and teens. That is the stuff legend is made of perhaps, but it has little resemblance to present reality.

Business blogging abounds! Corporate America and small business alike have embraced this lightweight publishing format and made it a useful tool for both internal and external communications.

That being said, it's time for a major conference on business blogging! I'm throwing down the gauntlet. I want some input from those of you in the business blogging community, whether you're a blogger within a large corporation or use a blog in your small business.

Personally, I think 2004 is the Year of the Blog. We need a major conclave bringing everyone who is anyone together to dialogue about and advance the cause of business blogs. Many credible voices are talking about it. Why don't we invite those voices to come together and see if there can't be a convergence that will impact the genre for years to come.

Topically, there are scores of things to be discussed, and both plenary and break-out sessions could be facilitated to meet the needs of everyone.

I know, I know, you may say BloggerCon will suffice for that. I disagree. It's a bit too esoteric and rooted in the romance of blogging to be useful for business purposes in my opinion. Plus, it's only one day long. What I'm talking about would take two or even three days to complete.

I think something more business-centric is needed. Something that can have a cross-cultural appeal to both corporate America and small business.

So, speak up! Let me know what you think. If you agree, help me spread this meme and see if we can't create some kind of groundswell and get the attention of the business blogging power brokers. Maybe the gods of the blogosphere will favor us. Maybe it's their idea in the first place.

Recently, I bought a 1991 Mazda Miata convertible. It's red too. While some have accused me of having a mid-life crisis, the real reason I got it was because my old car was wearing out (falling apart if the truth be told) and I needed something to replace it. A co-worker had this one for sale, sooooo I bought it and got a good deal!

I'm having a lot of fun with it. I can dart in and out of traffic, park in ridiculously small parking spaces, get good gas milage in spite of how I drive, and travel at speeds that guarantee a traffic ticket if I'm ever caught! The car reminds me of a fighter plane -- quick, agile, and very manuverable.

Blogs are like that!

Click to read more ...

A couple of days ago I suggested there was a need for a conference focused on business blogging. Well, Shazaam!, it turns out there's one already on the books!

According to a post from Dana VanDen Heuvel, the American Marketing Association is going to have a 3 stop tour on blogging and internet marketing. The topic at hand: Incorporating Blogs Into Your Strategic Marketing Plan.

The one-day conference road show will start in Seattle in December, then hit New York and Chicago in early 2005.

Click to read more ...

I had a dream the other night that some programming genius came up with a publishing application that created content for a weblog AND an email newsletter all-in-one! In other words, inside one app, content could be easily repurposed so that there was no need for re-entering it. You post to your blog and, within the bowels of the app, that content could easily be morphed into a format suitable for email.

If anyone knows of such a tool, please let me know. I've said that, for the time being, the ideal marketing communications mix is a combination of blogs and email, with RSS thrown in for good measure. Those are the areas I'm emphasizing now, and I'd like to know if such an application exists. If it doesn't, why is someone is not working on creating it? If someone did, I know it would be a hit!