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I have noticed a recent(!) proliferation of individual ‘business’ bloggers who are offering their services to companies, mostly consulting and coaching style. Interesting development, as it suggests that the market is becoming more aware of blogs and the benefits of business blogging are perceived clearer, at least by those who are selling their blogging expertise. BLM Business Blogs, The Mobile Technology Weblog, Jeremy Wright’s auction on eBuy… and many more, I am sure.

To share some of our insights into the life of a ‘professional blogger’ - we discovered very early on that the hardest part of our job is to explain to people just how versatile and wondrous a tool blogs are. They are not “just online journals” or “just funny web-sites” or some form of online ego-trip but a flexible and potentially powerful communication tool that companies no longer have the luxury to ignore. This point has been most difficult to make in the UK, where people with titles such as Head of New Media or even Head of Interactive Media in large corporations, never even heard of blogs. Without our constant interaction with the US blogosphere and our contacts there, we could have been disheartened in no time.

Nevertheless, the perception is changing even in the UK. There have been a few articles in the mainstream press about blogs and although most of them missed the point entirely (i.e. couldn’t get out of the ‘blogs are just online journals and not very good at that either’ groove), people are starting to wonder whether there might not be something to this… er, blogging thing. Also, next year should see a number of conferences on blogging and once a large or influential UK company breaks the ranks, the rest will follow.

To that end, we are planning a series of sessions to assist those who are wondering about blogs to get a clearer idea what they are making their minds up about. The first one will be a blogging bootcamp for journalists where they can learn what blogs are, how they work and why perhaps they should care. The mysteries of posting on a blog and using an RSS reader shall be dispelled and they will issue forth enlightened in the art of blogging. Well, that’s the plan anyway. A similar training session for PR and marketing people is next. In the meantime, of course, we are here to explain, demonstrate and coach anyone, regardless of their profession.