Paul Chaney is trying to do an amazing balancing act with his article--Blogs: Beyond the Hype!in response to a USA Today article.  I mean Paul and I are just a tad biased.  We're both old Internet marketing hands and both trying to make a living via the blogosphere (as consultants, writers, and in software).  So it could be easily said that we're going to promote--maybe over promote--blogs to our benefit.  Fair enough.

• Search Engine Marketing - Blogs give you an increased presence on major search engines like Google and Yahoo
• Direct Communications - Blogs provide a way for you to speak directly and honestly with your customer
• Brand Building - Blogs serve as another channel to put your brand in front of the customer
• Competitive Differentiation - Because blogs give you the opportunity to tell your story over and over, they help set you apart from the competition
• Relational Marketing - Blogs allow you to build personal, long-lasting relationships with your customer that foster trust
• Exploit the Niches - Blogs help you fill your particular industry niche
• Media & Public Relations - Blogs are excellent PR tools. The media calls you, not your competition
• Reputation Management - Blogs enable you to manage your online reputation
• Position You as Expert - Blogs enable you to articulate your viewpoints, knowledge, and expertise on matters pertaining to your industry.
• Intranet & Project Management - Blogs make great, easy-to-use applications for internal communications within an organization. This may be one of the least well-known and underutilized areas of blogs.

All good points.  But what about the hype-o-meter?  Isn't it starting to edge into the yellow, maybe even the red, zone as far as blogs are concerned?  Yep, it is.  It is because too many people are mistaking blogging the activity--writing and communication--for blogging the technology--easy personal publishing.  Look, I love blogging.  I love writing.  What let's me do this is the technology.  As a blog consultant what I stress for clients is the ease of personal publishing.  In spite of what you might think I think, I believe that blogging is going to fizzle out in a couple years.  Most folks are going to grow weary of writing everyday.  Real life is going to intercede.  However, who will remain are people like me and Paul, and others (far too many to mention them all here) who a) write because they like to and b) have something to say that people want to read (or hear).  We are, as we speak, creating the next generation of syndicated columnists and pundits and it is the technology of blogs that makes this possible.

So how does this jive with what I do as Larix Consulting, as Qumana Services, as Qumana Software?  Easily.  I help clients learn to use the technology to publish their thoughts, opinions, and just plain old information themselves.  No web designer who decides to take his first vacation in three years at the moment you have a major announcement coming up.  No endless, and costly, rounds of edits.  Just write.  Just publish.  Sure spend some money on a really nice template.  Maybe invest in a license for Moveabletype instead of a hosted service.  Fine.  The bottom line is that you're publishing and you're doing it yourself.  That is the revolution.  That is what is going to make a difference.  That is why blogs are changing everything.  That is why I blog.

[Also published on View from the Isle]