It's a virtual version of "Dear Diary". It's a new type of free mass media.

It's a Blog, short for "web log", and it is the integral part of the "Blogosphere" in today's internet universe. In the form of personal or public online forums, Blogs provide its creators and participants a place to express thoughts, ideas and opinions. But what are they really used for, and what does it mean for marketers and business owners?

After completing a survey form SurveyMonkey.com*, I discovered (out of the small group of respondents), 69.7% received qualified leads and 57.6% actually closed business generated from their business blog. Although these numbers seem relatively high, it is well known that blogs help to generate and improve relationships. Blogs are effective marketing tools; they act as a forum for marketing, a way to get public feedback, to get important messages out and a way to address company issues. "It's the electronic version of going into the local grocery store where you know the owners... I can see what's going on in the minds of people who run this organization," as described by Albert Lai of Bubbleshare.com to the Globe and Mail (CEO blogs: "The new company 'water cooler'." 6 February 2006 issue).

While it may be beneficial to keep open the lines of communication, it is also very risky. There are some things your neighbourhood grocer may not want you to know. When blogs are open for employee contribution, there is high potential for letting confidential information "slip". This puts the business integrity and brand on the line. As a result of occasional "slipups", media outlets are now looking to blogs for story ideas.

When allowing the public to respond, the feedback isn't always positive. Certain issues must be handled in a timely, effective manner, and by the right person. If a matter is neglected, it can come back to haunt you in the future. All blogs are archived and easily searchable months after the posting.

And if there weren't enough reasons not to create a blog, there is also the amount of time and dedication required to maintain one. This alone is what keeps marketers and business owners from jumping on this trend.

On the other hand, companies like General Motors, Intel, Sun Microsystems and Synnex created and developed their blogs into successful communication tools. Synnex, for example, uses blogs to share thoughts and ideas, introduce new products and talk about their day. Corporations are quickly realizing that blogs are really about customer relationship management, a way to reach and retain your most loyal supporters, and those you haven't quite yet convinced. They are a new form of intelligence and type of community.

Consider blogging a present day phenomenon. There are over 40,000 new blogs created every day, according to Canada's Marketing Magazine ("Feeling Blogged Down." 30 January 2006 issue).

As for the future of blogging - is it possible that everyone will have a personal blog? Could, perhaps, this trend amount to 117 million blogs with 117 million owners and each owner is also their own visitor? Is it possible that blogs and the opinions expressed within will become a commodity with their uniqueness and value diminishing over time? And in a society where every opinion counts, will it come to a point where in the wealth of thought and ideas, the only one that will seem to matter is your own - to yourself?

When asked if everyone will eventually have their own blog, John Jantsch, Staff blogger for iUpload responds, "Likely not, I doubt that everyone wants to share their thoughts with the world."

So what does it mean to marketers and business owners? It is a new means of communication between your customers, employees, partners, suppliers and sales team. And, if handled properly, it can be used to strengthen these relationships and the future of your business.

*Survey Conducted by Write2Market. Survey completed by author Feb 19,2006. To follow-up with the final results of the research survey, go to http://www.write2market.com

About the author: We are a advertising and marketing communications agency located in Toronto, in our 18th year of business. We like to poke fun, criticize and question current trends. We like to be enlightened and aim to enlighten through our articles we would like to share with this marketing community.