A blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. ~ Source

A weblog (usually shortened to blog, but occasionally spelled web log) is a web-based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles (normally in reverse chronological order). Although most early weblogs were manually updated, tools to automate the maintenance of such sites made them accessible to a much larger population, and the use of some sort of browser-based software is now a typical aspect of “blogging”. ~ Source

A corporate weblog is published and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals. The advantage of blogs is that posts and comments are easy to reach and follow due to centralized hosting and generally structured conversation threads. Currently, all major browsers (including Firefox, Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer 7) support RSS technology, which enables readers to easily read recent posts without actually visiting the blog, which is very useful for low-volume blogs. ~ Source

In its simplest form, a blog is a publishing tool maintained by an individual or team and is used to communicate news to interested parties as well as engage with interested parties. In comparison to a conventional website, a blog is far more dynamic and interactive.

Corporate blogging has fast become an essential marketing tool for most businesses due to the fast nature in which news can be distributed as well as the ability to allow readers to leave comments and receive feedback. A corporate blog gives a business the ability to ‘talk’ to readers apposed to the one-way communication of traditional media.

There are 2 main types of recognised corporate blogs:

• Internal Blogs
• External Blogs

Internal Blogs

An internal blog is much like a memo, the difference being that the information is located on a website, which is only accessible by employees, via an intranet. The advantages behind this are:

• Easy to update
• Distributed quickly
• Save on printing costs
• Allows employees to leave responses, if required
• Available to staff who work remotely

An Internal blog could also be used for the following:

• Setting up meetings
• Staff Discussions
• Event Management

External Blogs

Probably the more popular of the two types of corporate blogs is the External Blog. An External Blog is a publically viewable blog, which allows businesses to communicate information to the public. New product or service releases would be a good example of such information. An External Blog could also be used for:

• Business announcements
• Press releases
• Public Opinion management
• Increasing business transparency
• Interacting with a target market on a more personal level

Advantages of an external blog:

• Easy distribution of news, press releases and announcements
• Low running costs
• Public engagement
• Low cost engagement with target audience

To get a better idea of what blogs are available on the Internet, here are some examples:

Converse Blog – http://www.converseblog.co.za/
Photography Blog – http://www.photographyblog.com/
Business Blog – http://www.sabusiness.co.za/
Interior Design Blog – http://www.designspongeonline.com/
Animal Rescue Blog – http://animalrescue.typepad.com/

Regardless of the industry you operate in, a blog will provide you with a new means to marketing, communicating and interacting with clients and/or potential clients.

If you’re interested in exploring the possibility of a blog for your business, please feel free to contact us by clicking here.