Mike Mueller, Social Media.ist

It seems everywhere you turn around these days there is a new blog.
It's become one of our favorite buzzwords.

The corporate world has recently gotten into blogs.
Sports Blogs, Food Blogs, Infomercial Blogs...
The Today Show even has a blog!
Here's a thought: If Matt Lauer has something to say, why doesn't he just say it on TV? Why does he need a blog?

It seems everyone blogs these days. The blog is mainstream. It's all around us.
But what exactly is a blog?

A blog in simple terms is a software interface.
It allows normal people who do not know html or code to create pages on the internet.
That's a very powerful thing.

I could explain blogging and the dominate underlying technology of .php to normal people like this: "You type what you want to say here, and it shows up over there".
It really is as simple as that.
It's what you do here everyday!

The blog editors today are primarily "WYSIWYG".
That's pronounced as "wizzy-wig".
It's an acronym for "What You See Is What You Get".

That means that what you type, and how you place it, and what you do to it, is how it'll turn out.

And all this adds up to is that it's easy for normal people to create pages on websites with blogging, or the server side scripting that runs blogging (php).
By the way, php goes back to 1994 - it's nothing new.

What is new, is how this technology is being used and to what end.

Many many years ago I used to design Realtor websites as a sideline.
Many were and still are static sites.
They don't change much.

Using .php I designed the usual website but on the front page I included a section where the agent could blog into.
By using an interface I gave the agent a way to change their webpage on a daily basis!

"I'll be holding an open house at 123 Easy St today. come on by!"

I know, this doesn't seem like much today, but think back just 10 years ago.
What did your website do?

So technology and php may have changed the world.
That's a good thing.
But here's my bitch.

If you are going to blog that's great.
If you are going to blog about real estate because that's your job, your profession, your skill, or your marketing plan. That's even better!
Then just do it, and do it on a consistent basis!
(WOW, I just used two major marketing catch phrases in the space of a couple of sentences!)

BUT
And this is a big BUT
Do not cheapen what you do by trying to make money on the side.
You know what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about putting ads on your blog.

 Don't do it!

A blog is a great way to send out information to a mass audience.
It's a great way to send a message.
But I'll ask you this?
What kind of a message are you sending when you also include a revenue generating list of ads?

If you need help on blogging, setting up a blog, blogs as part of a marketing plan, feel free to contact me.
If you want to sell ad space on my blog, you've got the wrong man!