What is a Weblog?

A weblog is, most commonly, a website containing the author's frequently updated impressions, analysis and comments on news, events or other topics of interest. Each entry in a weblog is known as a 'post' and these are usually organised in reverse chronological order with the most recent post at the top of the page. Weblog posts are generally short and informal, much like email, but because blog posts are intended for a broader audience, they are written in a more conversational tone and frequently serve to invite others to a discussion on the particular point of the post. Such conversation is commonly enabled by spam-free email and commenting tools incorporated into the weblog application. Comments and emails are often rapidly incorporated back into the site's content, creating a nearly real-time communication channel between the blog's author and his or her readers.

Whether a form of journalism, collaboration or education, what makes weblogs so powerful is their use of the Internet to publish and spread the message of the author. It has long been recognized that the Internet is the largest and most powerful printing press ever known. What weblogs have done is make this printing press available to anyone who has a web connection and the desire to share his or her thoughts with others. Weblogs have been with us for as long as there has been a world wide web, but in the last two years, the number of weblog authors has increased from a few thousand to several million.

Weblogs are poised to change the way enterprises use the internet to communicate. The primary advantage of weblogs over traditional content management systems is clear: usability. From English professors to architects, thousands of non-technical users are using them to share ideas, manage projects, and build deeper relationships with colleagues - all without the intervention of IT staffers. They can be made an essential part of business processes.

Uses of Weblogs

Individuals/Families -- keep connected with your loved ones. This system makes it SO easy for you to keep people informed, updated and engaged as to your activities, thoughts, dreams, wishes and desires. You can use it as a daily diary, or as an on-line 'scrapbook'. Let your friends, your family, your local community, even the world know what you're doing on a day-by-day basis.

Academic Communities -- a powerful educational tool at any curriculum level. Create a website for your school or academic institution, every class, even every child. Students will be able to help each other and the educators can monitor the site to keep communications on track. Your institution can build a community without draining time or valuable resources away from technology administrators.

Manufacturing -- connects manufacturing facilities with design and sales departments, giving key stakeholders insight into how fluctuations in manufacturing capacity and demand impact them. It can also be used to connect decision-makers at different facilities. For instance, plant managers at a major auto manufacturer can use a site to post issues, troubleshoot problems, and hold discussions.

e-Business Portal -- links internal teams with external partners, keeping them informed about product developments, new products, and opportunities. For instance, a major electronics manufacturer can keep its sales partners and distributors up to date about its offerings and sales strategies.

Software Development -- Engineering teams track tasks and resolve problems, eliminating countless emails while keeping everyone on the same page. RSS feeds help large project teams stay informed because members can subscribe to the project updates that affect them the most.

Collaboration and Communication -- sharing information, exchanging ideas, and troubleshooting challenges is easy for everyone at every level of the organization. For instance, your top customer service agents can share insights on an internal customer service weblog, helping to boost overall service to customers. Or you can bridge communication gaps between business units by creating an enterprise-wide weblog.

Product Catalogues -- when you maintain your product catalogue, product managers and other stakeholders have the power to edit the pages they control and publish updates. Simply make a page for each product or product group and assign control to the appropriate people in your organization.

Intranet Portal -- numerous organizations create and link internal websites. And, no matter how global your organization, you can keep everyone up-to-date on important news by creating a daily news page that aggregates information from key weblogs in your portal.

Project Management -- Improve organization and accountability by using managing projects. When you initiate a new project, start a new site and establish a hierarchy of users. The site becomes the hub for all information exchange related to the project, such as schedules, documentation, brainstorming, and posting deliverables. If any one is holding up the project by failing to meet deadlines, you'll know and be able to take corrective action immediately.

Interested? Then contact me, or use the details on the business card located at the top right-hand-side of this page. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. Prices are tailor-made to suit YOUR needs. Your quotation will take into account all relevant factors. Price includes 1 full year of hosting, training, support, mentoring, monitoring and moderation. I guarantee to provide you with a first-class, professional service. Check out some real-life examples of current customers here.