I've been promising you a review of some blogging related resources. Here's one from T. L. Pierce on the software application Blogjet.

T. L. also has begun a series called How to Blog 101, which is a basic primer on blogging. If you visit the site, you'll notice he has a lot of info on RSS as well. Good stuff!

It goes without saying that no sooner do we beging to get our arms around one technology that another one emerges.

Most of us are just now getting a feel for blogs, how they work, their purpose, etc. Now, along comes another technology that has great promise. It's call Wiki, which is an Hawaiian (or polynesian) word for "quick."

Wikis are organized as topic-based Web pages that are editable by anyone. According to an article at ComputerWorld.com...

Because Wikis and blogs are often mentioned in the same breath, it's important to point out a key distinction: Blogs are an excellent tool for knowledge management, but in practice, blogs have shortcomings. One of the hallmarks of blog structure -- a reverse chronological listing of posts -- can actually be a drawback for certain types of information. In some contexts, instead of having the newest information at the top of a page, you might want the most important information at the top.

Due to the reverse chronological order in which blog posts appear, they can be a bit rigid in terms of how information is structured. 

If you'd like to venture into Wikiworld, let me suggest an easy-to-use application called Seedwiki. It's simple enough for the laymen to setup and make use of, but has all the ventures one would need to provide a robust collaborative environment.

I am not a geek. Well, maybe I am a little. If being interested in emerging technologies makes one a geek, then I qualify.

I wanted to give you a heads up on two technologies I am taking a hard look at: Wiki and Podcasting/Audioblogging.

I'm in the process of setting up a wiki to use for the purpose of discussing issues related to business blogging. I'll be posting more about that soon along with other posts on the topic.

My main interest is to see whether either of these technologies can help you market your small business. 

(Just as an aside: The now infamous Wikipedia was developed by a fellow "good old boy" Jimbo Wales, who was born and raised in Alabama. The one thing I've yet to figure out is why he would have attended BOTH Auburn and the University of Alabama. OK, you have to be from Alabama to understand that.)

We all know Internet Explorer is fraught with security flaws. According to Internetnews.com internet security company Secunia has issued a warning about an exploit in virtually every tabbed browser. What, you mean Firefox is not safe either?!

Robert Scoble has made the suggestion - rather tongue-in-cheek perhaps - that we all just use RSS aggreagators and forget browsing. Hey, it's a thought!

(Thanks to the RSS Weblog for this info.)

Have you ever sat there working on your blog - researching, writing, editing - then wondered, "Is anyone even reading this stuff?!"

Most blogging software with which I'm familiar doesn't provide great stats tracking. For example, Typepad, the platform I currently use gives woefully inadequate statistics. I've griped about that to them and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Never fear, that's why God made third-party software apps. Sitemeter is a stats tracking plug-in that I use and recommend.

As a web counter Sitemeter meets all my requirements (It's free, fast, and easy to use!). Not only does it display the number of visitors to your blog, it also keeps statistics on the number of visits each hour and every day. It also provides detailed information about these visitors, provided in real time so they are always up-to-date. With Sitemeter you can even estimate traffic predictions for the day, week, or month!

All that's needed to install Sitemeter is just a couple of lines of HTML code added to your template. I installed mine in the left-hand column, so it picks up all the posts. But, you could install it in the footer just as easily. You can choose from a variety of counters too.

If traffic metrics are an important factor (and if you're running a business they should be), I'd suggest using Sitemeter.

Regardless of your personal feeling about Rathergate, one thing has been proven conclusively, blogging is a powerful medium for instigating change. No better case study can be found than that of the debacle surrounding CBS, Dan Rather, and the forged documents. It's CBS vs. the Blogosphere.

An article by Orlando Sentinel columnist Kathleen Parker says that the "CBS mess variously known as ''Forgerygate'' or ''Rathergate'' is by any other name a seminal moment in the blogosphere that holds promise not only for revolutionizing journalism, but also perhaps for problem-solving on a global scale."

Had it not been for blogs this story might have died a premature death. Certainly the mainstream media would not have pursued it. Thanks to the energetic efforts of bloggers the truth was told, and that is always a good thing, no matter which side of the political fence might be affected positively or adversely.

Here's the punch line: If blogs can be effective vehicles for communication and change on the socio-political front, just think what possibilites they may hold for small businesses. Isn't it time you found out?

All Hail the Power of the Blog!!!

PS: The blogosphere is a sometimes quirky place. I don't know which has created more buzz lately, the CBS debacle or the Kryptonite lock fiasco! :-)

If, as the "Cluetrain Gang" suggests, markets are conversations, then social software is the toolset needed to get businesses and consumers talking.

What is social software? The folks at SocialMedia.biz provide us laymen with an excellent definition.

Essentially, social software (or as they refer to it, social media) represents a new generation of tools that bring companies and users into a dynamic, ongoing conversation. They include blogs, digital stories, RSS feeds, wikis and social networks.

If some of those terms sound a bit like incantations from a Harry Potter novel, it's not so mystifying once you read what they have to say.

Markets are conversations. The internet has made it so. Therefore, smart businesses small or large need to get on board. To adapt a lyric from Cat Steven's Peace Train: "Everyone jump upon the Cluetrain. Come on now Cluetrain."

By the way, let me thank SocialMedia.biz for featuring our series on the future of blogging.

Just be patient while I get this out of my system. . .

I googled the keyword phrase "future of blogging" and found numerous voices speaking to the subject. In an effort to be the de facto site speaking to this subject (just kidding), I am listing the best of the best that I found.

Click to read more ...

In yesterday's post on this subject I presented the issue from the perspective of several well-known Internet marketers who are also blogging mavens in their own right.

Today, I want to present another perspective, that of three of the authors of The ClueTrain Manifesto. That is not to say these guys aren't marketers. They are. But, they also represent a POV that Jakob Nielsen said "defected from marketing and sided with markets." Once you read their comments, you'll understand what he meant.

We'll start with Doc Searls, then Chris Locke, and finish with David Weinberger. . .(BTW, I did contact Rick Levine, but at the time of this post had not heard from him.)

Click to read more ...

According to a recent survey, blogging is "slowly becoming more of a mainstream phenomenon" on the Internet. The survey indicated that "thanks to much media hype and some high profile blog sites, these online journals have captured the public’s imagination."

Are blogs ready for prime-time? What is the future of blogging? Will it become a mainstream medium and, if so, when?

I posed those questions to a group of Internet mavens including some well-known Internet marketing consultants, and several of the authors of the much-heralded book, The ClueTrain Manifesto.

In two posts - this one today and one tomorrow - I will let them tell you in their own words what they believe the future holds for blogging. What they have to say is a "graduate education" for anyone seeking to better understand Internet space and blogging's place in it. In a third post, I hope to summarize what I believe to be some common themes, as well as what I see are some conflicting opinions.

This post will present the opinions and comments of the following marketers: Seth Godin, Rick Bruner, John Jantsch, and Debbie Weil. Tomorrow, you'll hear from the Cluetrain guys: Doc Searls, Christopher Locke, and David Weinberger.

Click to read more ...