"User-generated content" is much more than today's most tossed-around-the-tongue buzzword. It's the difference between having a flood of site traffic or just a trickle. Empower your users to create information that their peers want to see, and your site becomes a living, breathing place to be. Profiles, photos, and blogs ... more

Blog advertising expenditures have exploded in the past year. Companies can make a really big brand splash for relatively little money, meaning that blogs provide advertisers an excellent opportunity to reach a devoted audience niche. But blog numbers, until recently, have been little more than curiosities to big brands. more

Marketers have a choice: You can continue using the same marketing methods you have always used to reach your customers, or you can try something revolutionary. You can join them. You can stop trying to guess what your customers are talking about, and instead join their communities and talk to ... more

A new Internet gold rush has been taking hold with the emergence of social networking, blogging, podcasting, and other Web 2.0 experiments. Media companies and Internet giants have reacted promptly by acquiring many of the new players to take advantage of these new advertising vehicles and evolve their endangered models. Yet ... more

Blogging is one of the hottest trends on the Web. Whether yours is an individual blog, a group blog, a character blog, or a CEO blog, there's no doubt that, done right, a blog can position you as a thought leader, bring your Web presence to life, and help you ... more

This second article in a series focuses on implementing a successful business blog. It dissects the steps of selecting development tools, working out a content plan for launch, making a debut, developing a style and personality, handling responses, monitoring consumer discussion on your subject, and enjoying the process. Here are nine ... more

Blogging is ubiquitous. Marketing experts, the media and the influx of books on business blogging give the impression that we should all do it, or be thinking about doing it. But should all businesses blog? Is it always a wise use of resources and an asset to an organization? more

So you've created a Web log to communicate more intimately and more frequently with your audience. It's supposed to be easy. After all, the technology is simple, the style casual and the content brief. But after the initial wave of enthusiasm, you may find it increasingly difficult to generate ideas for ... more

There has been a flurry of RSS activity in the last two years, including countless startups that are hitting the new technology from every angle. These companies are doing everything they can to get RSS ready for prime time. Unfortunately, it's not quite there yet, but we're getting closer. What ... more

Excite co-founder Joe Kraus has a new venture, and he likens the technology driving his new business to the Internet in the mid-1990s, when it was still "trapped in the land of the nerds." His new venture is the collaborative publishing tool known as Wikis. Just what is a Wiki, ... more

What's wrong with most blogs? They're too chatty. Too rambling. They lack passion. If you're going to blog, become an expert on something. This is especially important for blogging in the business world. Think content, not rambling comment. Get the full story. more

There are many approaches a company can take to blogging, each of which has its strengths and weaknesses. A blog written by top management, for example, has the potential of providing news straight from the decision makers. But the downside is that CEOs and senior executives are also wary of ... more

From press releases to event announcements and customer memos, syndicating content with RSS offers a way around spam filters and ensures that interested parties receive your company info. Still, PR and marketing professionals are slow to adopt RSS. Many of you may believe it's too difficult or too technical. Perhaps ... more

If you haven't heard of podcasting yet, I am not surprised. It's a brand new term—just invented earlier this year, in fact. Podcasting refers to the technology used to pull digital audio files from Web sites down to computers and devices such as MP3 players. It's a significant departure from traditional ... more

This week, add your two cents to the discussion: What should companies consider when deciding whether to launch a blog? What benefits do blogs offer? Also this week, read your answers to last week's query: What's the best way to reach decision-makers? more

Old-school thinking demotes blogs to the domain of college students and frustrated authors battling writers block. New-school thinking elevates blogging to a much different sphere of influence. Journalists have embraced blogging -- both authoring blogs as well as consulting them for sources. And now blogging also has a place in ... more

These days, businesses are increasingly using a full range of communication methods including email, Web and fax to enhance relationships with existing customers, as well as a low-cost means of acquiring new ones. Now an emerging communication mode, text messaging—or Short Message Service (SMS)—provides an additional and interesting opportunity for ... more

Advertisers, including Paramount Pictures, The Wall Street Journal, and the Gap, are successfully reaching niche audiences for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. As a result, a handful of bloggers are earning six-figure incomes from their blogs. Why aren't more advertisers and bloggers getting together? Three reasons: fear, ... more

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For any organization, a blog should be part of a long-term customer evangelism strategy. more

Blogs aren't for everyone. Consider both the advantages and the caveats. more

If you’re not thinking about how to use blogs in your business, you’re missing a big opportunity. more

Newsletters or ezines are still the e-vehicle of choice for most marketers. But blogs are being slowly adopted as a channel for business communication. Here's why. more

Here are 10 rules for using blogs and wikis to achieve your branding goals in this emerging area. more

We should always keep striving to improve and enhance the brand called Me. But we should always be aware of the brand called We, which reflects the uncontrollable, omnipresent ability of others to build, enhance or even destroy our personal brands. more