Blogs and Networking

In the middle 1990's everyone started talking about needing a website. Now, the new "must have" is a web log or blog. While blogs can come in all shapes and sizes, a blog is just a very simple way to publish a journal, record of events, thoughts, ideas or whatever the author wants to write about. A blog sits on a website ? whether that site is run by you or managed by a company that will "host" your blog.

Blogs started coming into the general public's awareness with a large number of political blogs written during the 2004 U.S. Presidential election campaign. Because of this, you may think blogging is part journalism and part political commentary, and therefore not of interest to you or the advancement of your business.

Blogs can be journalism. They can be political commentary. They can be personal diaries or journals. They can also be way for you to show your uniqueness and build a conversation around your business and professional interests. That is how I use mine.

Technically Speaking

Because blogs are designed to be easily updated and are already on a website (don't worry you don't need to know ANYTHING about websites or web design to start one), you may find a blog could replace or supplement an email newsletter. They are easier to do, easier to update, and you don't have to worry about emails getting delivered!

If you already have a website, adding a blog can help you get more visitors who are interested in you because you will be writing about your area of expertise. And since the search engines love websites that are tightly focused and updated often, your site can move up quickly in the search rankings.

There are plenty of places to learn much more about the technical aspects of blogs and blogging. Just do your own search on Google (or your favorite search engine) to get the latest information.

How You Can Benefit

Let's say you are an insurance agent. You have expertise in life insurance and a specific set of benefits you bring to your Clients. A blog gives you a platform to talk about the latest ideas related to life insurance and life planning. You can give Clients (and potential Clients) tips and checklists. You can give them new ideas. You can relate the latest news to your products and services. The ideas are endless; these are just meant to be a start.

Of course, if you aren't in life insurance you change the topics ? but the premise and the benefits remain the same. While there are many, here are three specific benefits you will find:

Getting to know you. The blog becomes a part of how you brand yourself. If people read it, they should feel like they are getting to know you and getting to know what your beliefs and values are. Imagine your best referral sources sending potential referrals to your blog as a way to help them get to know you deeper, faster. In this way your blog can be leverage ? people are even more qualified if they call you or may already "know" you when you they make the referral call.

Making it easier. Have Clients that love you but have trouble knowing what to say about you? Encourage them to send their friends and colleagues to your blog as a way to make the connection. That way they don't have to feel like they have to say the perfect words about your business in order to give the referral.

Keeps you "on top" of your game. By writing about your work and the benefits of your products and services often, you will stay current and fresh. This will help in all phases of your business, but it will also help you in networking situations by giving you something fresh and new to talk about when having conversations with possible Clients and new referrals. It also gives you new ideas to share with potential Clients as you build your relationship with them.

How It Has Helped Me

I started blogging in March of 2004. I have certainly gained the benefits described above. Beyond those, I have made new connections with potential colleagues and collaborators who have found my blog and sent me comments, feedback or questions.

By writing regularly (my goal is 4 entries or "posts" per week), seldom does a week go by that I don't add someone to my network or use what I am writing to make a new connection with an existing or potential Client.

How to Get Started

Lots more can be said about blogging and how it might help you build your network, but this should give you some initial ideas. Hopefully after reading this you are intrigued by the possibilities and would like to learn more.

Here are the first four things I recommend that you do:

1. Start reading some blogs. Do a search in Google for blogs. If you are a chiropractor, search on chiropractic blogs. If you are a graphic designer, search on graphic design blogs. You get the idea. Read what others are doing and writing about. Email them and build your network with these people. Chances are they aren't your competitors and they might be very willing to help you and perhaps even collaborate with you.

2. Learn About RSS. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is one way to "publish" your blog to the world. There are many free RSS readers that you can use to keep track of the blogs you are starting to read. Pick one (there are many) by searching for "Free RSS Reader" in your favorite search engine.

3. Read Debbie Weil. Debbie is an expert on blogging for business and she will be a good connection for you.

4. Start one! You can (and will want to) build a strategy and a plan later, but if you see value for you, jump in! Go to http://blogger.com (what I use) and get started in less than five minutes for free.

?Kevin Eikenberry 2005. Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To read his blog go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/blogs/index.asp or contact him directly at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

---

7 Tips for Successful Blogging

So, you have a blog! Do you have traffic? Do you know how to build traffic to your weblog? There are seven proven methods for building readership of your blog. They start with... Read More

Article Syndication - A New Vehicle for King Content

Creating ContentNew websites are being launched daily. In order to compete, webmasters need to find alternative ways of producing themed websites. Highly focused articles are often sought by wembasters. Why? Because content on... Read More

Why Would You Use Blogs Instead of a Web Site For Your Online Business?

Why would you use Blogs instead of a web site for your online business?What's wrong with using a web site for conducting your online business? How can Blogs help and why should I... Read More

Your RSS Feed Might Look Like Spam

RSS feeds seem to be the breakout technology for the year. With more users turning to them for driving traffic to their site, it's no wonder that a trail of RSS feed spam... Read More

RSS Feeds Future Revealed

I don't claim to be a futurologist or an RSS pioneer but I have been keeping a pretty close eye on RSS and how it has been evolving. From what I have seen... Read More

The Holy Grail that Online Advertisers, Merchants, Publishers, and Shoppers have been Looking for!

For Online Publishers/RSS Feeds users - RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is a popular way for online users/publishers to pull news and information from across the web. RSS allows web sites to publish real... Read More

If an RSS feed is the Yahoo Backdoor, is a Blog Googles?

Though the answer is in a book I wrote this July, the question is still asked of me repeatedly. Why does it work for some sites and not others? And how come some... Read More

Make Money with Your Own Blog

Well, basically, setting up a blog means that you are creating a little space of your own on the Internet where you can make posts about anything that interests you. Of course, if... Read More

Prescription Blogs are Helping to Educate the Consumers on Prescription Consumption

Blogs are being used on a more consistent basis due to their simplicity and accessibility to the public.A Blog is defined as a recurrent, chronological journal of personal thoughts and web links. Blogs... Read More

Top 10 Blog Writing Tips

Most of the "rules" about writing for ezines and newsletters apply to writing posts for your blog, but there are some important differences. Keep these 10 tips in mind and you'll be publishing... Read More

Update Your Websites Content Automatically 24/7 Using RSS(Real Simple Syndication) and RSS Feeds

RSS(Real Simple Syndication) is the newest form of content syndication to hit the Internet and is widely becoming the best known way online to deliver fresh targeted content to your website(s) to whatever... Read More

Shorten Your Blogging-RSS Learning and Submission Curve

A blog is a frequent, online publication of comments, web links, and news. It is an online Enzine of sorts. People maintained blogs long before the term was coined, but the trend gained... Read More

Blogging Advice - Give Your Readers What They Want

Web gives a lot of exposure; weblog stabilizes the exposure with a profound purpose. The purpose of a Weblog is to complement e-newsletters, serving readers in a way that extends a blogger's expertise... Read More

RSS Feeds Just Got Better!

We all know that in the world of online internet marketing we need our sites to get good quality targeted traffic on a daily basis. Whether we are just trying to improve our... Read More

Blogs Explained

It seems like Blogs are everywhere these days. You can't seem to surf the Internet without seeing the word Blog somewhere. The intent of this article is to explain the basics what a... Read More

Blogging for Business

Business blogs are primarily used to improve a company's communication both internally and externally. Business blogs are a type of communication channel that could be used effectively in product launches, team interaction internally... Read More

Benefits to RSS

RSS streamlines communication between publishers and readers. Since RSS has had a popularity surge, webmasters have been experimenting and using RSS feeds to deliver content in new and innovative ways. Typically, RSS feeds... Read More

How RSS Advertising Can Help Business Gain A Higher ROI

I recently read the case study conducted by Pheedo, an advertising company on the use of RSS Feeds advertising versus email advertising.The difference in results were staggering.Pheedo ran the campaign for 6 weeks... Read More

RSS Feeds Explosion

Gain Massive Exposure For Your ServiceGet your web site listed in Google and Yahoo in day's if not hours, I did, never pay $299 to be listed in Yahoo - you can get... Read More

Five Ways A Blog Helps You To Market Your Business

Want to advertise online without spending a fortune? Get a blog.If you're an Internet marketer, you need a blog, because:* a blog helps your site to rank higher in the search engines; and*... Read More

What Is RSS?

Recently I did an interview with a well known email Internet Marketer. He wanted to share with his readers a viewpoint on what RSS is from someone who is using it in place... Read More

Blogging Your Way To Success Part 2

(Continued from Blogging Your Way To Success Part 1)By now, you have already configured your blog name, description, personal profile, and the page template. As soon as you set up your blogging account... Read More

The Language of Blogs

I read over a lot of blogs each week, casually surfing one or two of the blog exchanges I belong.I realized yesterday that I seldom read the whole entry unless it's very short.... Read More

Business Blogs and Their Benefits

Blog is a medium for self-expression on web. Blogs are in the form of few paragraph entries. Blogs are created by both individual and companies, which are in the form of personal and... Read More

RSS: A Really Smart System For Sending And Receiving Content Online

"RSS" stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a standard for publishing regular updates to web-based content. Using this standard, web publishers provide updates, such as the latest news headlines, special announcements, press... Read More

Article Marketing For Bloggers - 4 Tips To Build Traffic For Your Blog

Bloggers blog. That's what they do. A blog is short for 'weblog' and it's really an online journal that can be updated easily and frequently without any knowledge of HTML code.Traditionally, article marketing... Read More

Blogging For Fun & Profits

Unless you've been under a rock for the last year, you've heard the term "blog" once or twice.To most people, a "blog" simply represents a glorified online "diary" where geeks, computer nerds, and... Read More

Internet Communication

Email, Instant Messaging, Blogs, RSS, Forums and Listservs: What's Next?How do we keep Internet communication simple? Let's start by taking a look at the different methods used to communicate on the web. It... Read More

The Full Circle of RSS Marketing Power

RSS is a many-in-one marketing & publishing tool, although unfortunatelly most marketers still fail to understand this powerful concept.While RSS does provide a number of benefits when used for each individual marketing function,... Read More