During the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to once again take to the airways. Along the way I met some very interesting people and the talk usually turned to business. I explained what I did and several people were quite interested in blogs, particularly in order to reduce their e-mail, increase their reach or gather competitive intelligence.
Naturally, blogging has been taken up by the IT industry, as reported by the media; but brick & mortar industries are less in the news. The Tin Basher Blog, about a sheet metal company in the UK, is a notable exception. According to the Tin Basher, there is a direct return on investment on blogging for this company:
This is concrete and tangible, which you may know really appeals to me. It also makes sense to Will at GoodBasic, who has been discussing this issue and offers services around business and academic blogging .
I think that we have reached the tipping point on this technology, which has been tested by the Innovators & Early Adopters and we are ready to bridge the chasm to the more conservative majority. Using social software like blogs or even wikis is no longer about technology as software & hardware but rather technology as the application of organised and scientific knowledge to solve practical problems. There is a growing market for those who want to know how to use blogs for business – without the hype or geek speak.
There is a growing market for
There is a growing market for those who want to know how to use blogs for business – without the hype or geek speak.
Absolutely. And that’s why we’ve set up the blog for real businesses to talk about blogging from their perspective. We’re a little out on a limb, and I’ve seen some truly dire examples whilst looking around to find ones that would be suitable contributors.
We are at a tipping point, but I’m worried that alot of smaller businesses may not see the benefits due to the fact that they don’t fully understand it as a medium. Consultants and small businesses don’t always mix too well as one can’t afford the other. However, business blogging could take one hell of a dent if the ‘conservative majority’ try it and fail because they haven’t adopted it correctly.