Blogging and It's Implications

Blogs have created a buzz for numerous reasons like an outlet for news and information, a public forum for participation, search engine optimization, as well as education and training purposes. Blogs serve countless purposes and depending on how the blogger uses it, blogs can be very effective for an organization. Microsoft guru Robert Scoble talks about how blogging can be used and should be used by organizations to improve their lines of communication (Spring, 2006). He says blogging can substantially improve SEO ranking for some long phrase keywords or unorthodox keywords that you normally would not optimize your site for. A survey discovered that about “94% of bloggers reported seeing measurable SEO benefits from blogging within 12 months” (Odden, 2010). The most cited benefit of blogging for SEO related purposes were to attrach inbound links from other web sites. This creates a community and establishes visibility for your organization as well as getting feedback and commentary about any new products, ideas, or events.

Some good uses for blogs include highlighting new products or services to your general public. Incorporating social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Myspace with your blog can only help to increase your reader group. A blog can function as a good channel for feedback or commentary from your consumers on their ideas of your new products or services. This can help save you potential time and resources with a product or idea that might not be very successful. However, since blogs are a public forum you should be cautious of what you do make available for everyone. You don’t want someone taking your ideas or innovations and using them against you.

Have a lot of employees, distributors, or partners you work with? Find it difficult to communicate your news with them? Blogs can work out to your benefit by creating a forum for you and your peers to deliver news to all the members at once. It also allows for feedback so you don’t have to waste time in a meeting anymore. You can gain feedback about your business model or operation and use it to help improve your services. Blogs can be used for both internal and external purposes, it’s just figuring out how to use them and incorporate them effectively that is key.

Specifically for party rentals or entertainment companies, blogs can be productive by creating a buzz about your company and marking your brand more visible online. Consumers are always looking for online sources to gain information before they shop. Especially party planners and coordinators that are looking for best practices and tips on making their party work. Having an informative blog that helps educate your target market will improve your company’s perception and increase sales. Some party planning and event planning companies use a blog style website because it can create a participative and committed loyal customer base that helps you as a company improve your products and services.

Spring, Natasha (2010) "The impact of blogging: real or imagined? Microsoft blogging guru Robert Scoble talks about what the technology means for companies and how they can use blogs to their advantage". Communication World. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4422/is_3_23/ai_n26855783/

Odden, Lee (2010) “Survey Results: Impact of blogging on search engine optimization” Online Marketing Blog. http://www.toprankblog.com/2010/01/survey-seo-blogging/