Back in the nineteenth century, people used to stand on a soapbox on a street corner when they had something to say publicly. During those times, the topics were usually politics, religion, and … politics.
In 1999, I spearheaded the consulting division of one of the top interactive agencies in the US. We did things like write site reviews, perform SEO, develop white papers, speak at conferences, and tie business strategies to internet tactics (among other things). One thing we didn’t do? Blogging!
Why? Well blogging was solely known as personal diaries at the time and we could neither make money from it nor help our clients make money from it. Google was in diapers, everyone wanted a flash intro, money grew on trees, and blogging wasn’t taken seriously by anyone.
Fast forward a decade to 2009 and Google is on top of the world, people learned that a flash intro is the quickest way to lose a visitor, and the world economy has been in the toilet for years. Oh, and blogging has quietly become the most abundant form of communication on the internet.
As a result, a masterfully-executed corporate blog can send a new company into orbit or keep a mature company relevant. Even adding a basic, average-looking blog page can provide incredible value. There’s really no better way to update content regularly to a) build a following or b) provide SEO benefits. The blog can be used to establish authority on a subject matter, promote a product, announce news, or simply engage with customers.
We expect blogs from new media giants like Google, Yahoo!, and Facebook and even other tech hotshots like Adobe, Dell, and Digg. But look at the old school behemoths like General Motors, Boeing, and Delta getting into the game. We all know these blogs have bias but companies simply cannot ignore these as public relations platforms anymore.
Those of you who work for a company, let me ask you this: does your company have a blog? If not, your marketing department needs to wake up call. And if you’re brave enough, get on your soapbox!










I am a business professional
with an entrepreneurial spirit. Although I have an MBA and managed websites and IT departments
for several Fortune 500 companies ...
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I learn how great blogging is from my web hosting provider blog. The blog consist of All of what i need about hosting. It is really helpful for me and of course it is a factor that keep me as their subscriber.
Dana @ Online Knowledge´s last blog ..How To Create Paypal Subscription and Recurring Payment
As I mentioned when I posted that I use GoDaddy to register my domains and to host my blogs, I’m a big fan.
Bob Parsons, the guy who runs the show at GoDaddy has an awesome personal video blog. He’s a little brash but love’m or hate’m, everyone could learn a few lessons from that guy.
In 1999 people dint know what google was, they only knew hotmail (MSN) and yahoo. Its remarkable what the technology has done to the internet, and how people use it. Few years back you required to know front page and some html coding language to design an web page. But now you have wordpress and the Joomlas……….. Blogging is really happening…
blogging is on cloud 9 these days.. technologies keep on updating..
Rajesh Kanuri´s last blog ..Top 5 RSS Feed Readers
Off Topic.. how abt a link exchange???
Rajesh Kanuri´s last blog ..Top 5 RSS Feed Readers
Well, Google was founded in 1998 so only a select few knew they existed. I had the fortunate luxury of working with one of the founders on a project in 2000 before Google was a household brand. To be honest, I didn’t know I was rubbing up against greatness at the time.
Thanks for all of your comments and support. Consider it done!
I work for govt sector and they are in progress to develop blog in their agency
It’s really cool to watch all this playing out in real time, and to be a part of it.
I’m in the thick of tech here in the SF Bay Area, and let me tell you, the pace of development hasn’t slowed. The Big Money has slowed, but everyone is still pounding out code.
Dave Doolin | Website In A Weekend´s last blog ..WordPress Case Study: Bad Deacon Design launches Woodblock 101
Wait, you work in public sector? That must be why you call yourself ‘poorblogger’.
It’s definitely fun being on the front lines. Some of the blogs I used to write for (as an employee of the company) really made quite an impact on their bottom lines.
I just love how organic everything is today. On the flip side, the evolution of the internet is so rapid that businesses are struggling to keep up in many cases.
Great historical perspective, Gabe. Very interesting how these things continue to play out indeed.
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…lol…love the image of a blog being the corporate soapbox! Several of my “blogging” buds freelance for corporations as blogger – so far, they are winning in the income arena.
best………..valentina
PS … I believe they are still standing on soapboxes in Hyde Park albeit they are definitely not corporate!
valentina´s last blog ..Link Exchange Strategies that Work
Hey Gabe, I definitely agree with the fact that blogging is getting bigger and bigger. Definitely the coolest way to learn and meet new people!
It’s a secret that many freelancers don’t want getting out but you’re right, there are plenty of corporate blogs looking for writers.
Not in Canada!!!! I don’t know where poorblogger is from, but up here in the great white north, the public sector compares favorably with private (even at the upper echelons)…. and they have job security to boot! aaarrrgggghhhh!
oh. just had to get that off my chest!
best……..valentina
valentina´s last blog ..Link Exchange Strategies that Work
5 years down the line I see Blogging as the biggest medium of sharing & promoting. The biggies like Google, Yahoo, Facebook must have their blogs rather sooner than later. Gabe, indeed a good historical insight.
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This is why I’m here! The Direct Sales/MLM communities really need to get on the stick and add blogs (as an example) to their websites. The company heads have no clue when they hand out those static “cookie cutter” sites to all reps.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Are You Thankful For Your Blogging Community?
Very timely post for me. All I