But maybe, just maybe, somebody does. Or at the very least they get entertainment from my opinions and worldly knowledge.

It has always scared me that anyone and everyone can read what I have to say. That is why I feel that one should not blog in haste. If you’re really upset about something you may say things, or write things, that could hurt feelings or offend people. Blogging while upset could ruffle some feathers. You have to wait for a little while until you can express your opinions after you’ve settled down a bit.

I think blogging can be fun at times, but you definitely need to be careful.

Does that mean that ALL forms of art or literature or music that have any personal or reflective tone belong on your “done” list? That you’d like to put a cap on all of those forms of media? That there are too many voices there, too?

Since when is another voice a bad thing? Since when is mass expression anything but a virtue?

As with most of our conversations and exchanges in general, 90% (or more) of what gets said is not going to be useful to every single person who could come across it on the Web. Just like the conversation the people on the bus are having next to me doesn’t necessarily engage me.

But that doesn’t make it unworthy. Or done. Or useless. Or that someone else sitting nearby isn’t dying to take part.

That same notion goes for businesses who use blogging. Just because their dialogs don’t engage you doesn’t mean that they aren’t significant for the members of that company and their market.

An effective business blog doesn’t necessarily need to haul in 50,000 visitors a month to be useful to that business… it need only serve and inform their customer base effectively.

And what “effective” means is a highly individual notion.

There’s a huge difference between being a provacateur and a snob.

I’m glad you’re working on a book, though, because land knows, we’ve got a shortage of those out there.

Dee’s posts (the one here and the one on his own site) have prompted a good deal of discussion on blogs and also on For Immediate Release. I’ve read and listened, and my mental wheels are spinning unstoppably. I started to blog about this on my own blog, but the post got out of hand. When it went beyond 7K words, I decided to turn it into an e-book.

A sketch of my thoughts:

I find considerable evidence to suggest that, as Dee says, the noise level is going up, and as he strongly implies, the blogosphere becomes increasingly time-wasteful the older it gets.

Ultimately, the question of whether time spent blogging is well spent is an economic one. In that spirit, I introduce a unit of measure which I think is essential for economic analysis of blogging. It’s a unit describing the value of a link. Called the scoble, it’s the average value of a link to one’s blog from Scobleizer. With that unit defined, we can start to think about the cost, in time, to earn a scoble, which leads to one’s being read by others.

Economics is the dismal science, and the picture that comes into focus as I ponder all of this is a bit dark. Such sad figures as zombies and Monty Python’s dead parrot make doleful appearances.

BUT… I find that Marcom Blog is part of the solution. What you have here is a small, sanitary subset of today’s messy blogosphere. It reminds me somewhat of the sphere of 2002, when I first blogged.

I have some concrete suggestions as to how to bring back some of the beauties of the blogosphere of 5 hears ago. Some of my ideas are inspired by what I see here. (And some, admittedly, by flights of fancy which may be downright silly.)

For those willing to undertake a read somewhat longer than the average blog post, my thoughts are packaged into a little PDF e-book titled Unfashionably Late. It’s easily visible on the sidebar of my Alpha Mind blog. I hope you’ll check it out.

The post that introduces Unfashionably Late is here, but as I say, you can just as easily grab the book from the sidebar.

You ask, “Should corporate CEOs blog?” and say, “Yes.” I would have to say some, but not all, might consider blogging. I think most of us have met a CEO that, although great at running a business or organization, they would be a disaster in their true voice in a blog. Regardless of all the discipline and guidance we may wish to instill and provide, their true voice might cause a true disaster.

For instance, if a CEO (the type that shuns “guidance” from anyone) should chose to opine on a popular news topic, totally unrelated to their business, and it winds up being un-PC or downright foolish - we might have an ugly backlash. Now, if the business in question is publicly traded and the resulting firestorm of bad publicity ignites a backlash that has a negative effect upon the stock price, well - have we done anyone a disservice by encouraging blogging? What if someone that disagrees with said CEO’s opinion begins a campaign of spurious claims against the company? That is a very real possiblity, you know. Is blogging still a wise idea?

It comes down to a realization of “all things in their place” and using a strategy only when it fits the environment. That means the people involved - messenger, audience - and also the subject matter being discussed.

Universal claims of strategies as a proper path for all to follow are never wise advice to employers and clients.

Finally … not trying to be snarky, but - can we all agree that a blog, or weblog, is a Web site, or website?

Comments and conversations were actually possible on Web sites before they were ever called blogs or weblogs.

Semantic, I know, but still important.

Blogging, like other digital content, is what you make of it. A blog can be a powerful connector - introducing you to hundreds, nay, thousands, of people you would NEVER meet via your website. It can be a method of writing the book so many of you here advise people to do. It can be a tool that helps your audience understand your work and have a glimpse into how you (or your company) do the things you do.

Or, it can be mindless ranting with no purpose at all.

Should corporate CEOs blog? Yes. Should they be disciplined and not write about things they aren’t supposed to write about…the very same way they don’t TALK about things they aren’t supposed to talk about? Yes. Should they be authentic and open and honest and - heaven forbid! - friendly? You bet.

As for the comment saying, “Determining whether the content you see is good or crap is up to you now. ” Now? Now? It’s ALWAYS been up to us. Every book ever written, every magazine article, every news program… requires the viewer or reader to decide if it’s credible, useful, or worthwhile. The content in blogs should make readers go, “Hmmm…” And, for every person who likes to say, “Well, business publications and newspapers have editors…” I say, “Yeah? So?” Editors don’t make mistakes? Hire bad writers? Print incorrect information? You be they do.

And, the worst thing about editors is - they’re the ones who decide what gets into the publication so…what you’re reading is at their mercy. In the blogosphere, what you read is a choice you make, on your own. Bloggers don’t hide behind false brand images… if they do, they get found out fast, and chastized.

So, is blogging for everybody? No. Is blogging the be-all and end-all of communication? No. Is blogging worthwhile? Yes.

Because connecting - to your colleagues, vendors, customers, and other experts is always good. That’s what a blog should do for the writer and the reader. Connect them through the power of conversation. There is no better way to break down barriers and learn to share and share alike, than that.

IMHO

p.s. I get more business as a direct result of my blog than my website. No, I’m not taking the website down…but, you can bet I’m going to keep blogging. And, I am teaching others how to get the same results, with a blog.