I know it is a little off topic from my normal business blogging but the truth is that this blog talks a lot about how to make your website great and that is something that should secure attension of every business owner. Now I say that because I think every business owner should have a business website. I don’t see why for any reason any company would choose not to try and tap into the vast market of people out there that surf the internet. It is a huge market base of potential customers no matter what kind of business you are in.

Yet not all the news is scary. Ideas circulate as fast as scandal. Potential customers are out there, sniffing around for deals and partners. While you may be putting it off, you can bet that your competitors are exploring ways to harvest new ideas from blogs, sprinkle ads into them, and yes, find out what you and other competitors are up to.

The printing press set the model for mass media. A lucky handful owns the publishing machinery and controls the information. Whether at newspapers or global manufacturing giants, they decide what the masses will learn. This elite still holds sway at most companies. You know them. They generally park in sheltered spaces, have longer rides on elevators, and avoid the cafeteria. They keep the secrets safe and coif the company’s message. Then they distribute it—usually on a need-to-know basis—to customers, employees, investors, and the press.

That’s the world of mass media, and the blogs are turning it on its head. Set up a free account at blog sites, and you see right away that the cost of publishing has fallen practically to zero. Any dolt with a working computer and an Internet connection can become a blog publisher in the 10 minutes it takes to sign up.

They represent power. Look at it this approach: In the age of mass media, publications like ours print the news. Sources try to get quoted, but the decision is ours. Ditto with letters to the editor. Now instead of just speaking through us, they can blog. And if they master the ins and outs of this new art—like how to get other bloggers to link to them—they reach a huge audience.

I can’t tell you how many times I have found a local place to shop based on a website that I found recommending the place. So if you don’t already have a website be sure to get one up and running right away. Then go by this blog `and look into all the tips and advice that you can use to make your website the absolute best website that it can be. From the design and look of the site to the optimization of the site for the search engines it can give you all sorts of advice to make your web site great

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 at 7:39 am and is filed under Business, Information Technology, Customer - Services, Business & Society, Marketing & Advertising, Careers, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.