Blogs Are Here To Stay

Below is a speech that I wrote as a professional development project for my agency. As mentioned in my previous post - I was assigned to ghostwrite two speeches. One speech coming from a person who is a strong advocate for Blogs and one speech coming from a person who views Blogs as yet another medium of expression, not a replacement for anything else. Due to the event of time, managing four accounts, and Blogging - my writing coach suggested that I only write one. I took her up on it and I chose to ghostwrite a speech on behalf of a person who is a stong advocate for Blogs.

Before I move any further, I would like to first acknowledge a few Blogs, people, and publications that I used as resources to complete this assignment. Bloggers include Eric Eggertson, Jeff Jarvis, Kari Chisholm, Shel Israel and Robert Scoble of Naked Conversations, and Steve Rubel. Articles and additional resources include Nicole Ziegler Dizon's AP article, “Corporations entering brave new world of blogs”, Stephen Baker and Heather Green's feature article in BusinessWeek, "Blogs Will Change Your Business," and information out of Pew Internet & American Life. As many times as I have read this speech over there is still a chance that some of the facts below may be off, if so, please let me know so I can make the necessary changes.

Enjoy!


Blogs Are Here To Stay

~Start of Speech

Good afternoon and thank you for joining me today.

Blogs will change the way we look at the world through the Internet. Blogs are a medium that gives individuals and organizations a voice they never thought they could have. A medium that is here to stay with us as long as there is information to spread.

Web logs, more commonly known as blogs, is a new medium that is impacting the media like the Wright brothers affected airplanes.

The May 1st issue of BusinessWeek reports that, “Blogs are simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself.” Today, I am here to tell you why.

First off, I will explain to why Blogs are unlike any medium. Then, I will explain to you just exactly how powerful Blogs are. Finally, I will tell why you should not ignore the power of Blogs. When you leave today you will understand – why blogs are not just a fad; they are here to stay.

Blogs are by definition a Web site that contains dated entries in reverse chronological order. They are organized by topic with the most recent entry appearing first. Blogs function as an online journal. They can be written by one person or a group of contributors. Entries typically contain commentary, links to other Web sites, images, and a search facility.


Now, ladies and gentlemen, lets dig deeper.


Blogs differ from any other form of media.

One feature that distinguishes Blogs from other media is that the people control them. When I say the people, I mean anyone – anyone that consists of the general public. Bloggers come from all walks of life. Ordinary people, like you and me, are Blogging. Ordinary people who might otherwise lack a voice are becoming valuable sources of information overnight.

Blogs also differ from traditional media because they are unedited. While newspapers have editors, television stations have scriptwriters, and radio DJ’s have producers, Blogs are not subjected to editorial control or alteration. Blogs give the people an opportunity to publish any and all content they chose, at any time, for the entire Internet world to see. That my friends - is power. Power to speak to a worldwide audience.

Blogs are an incredible tool because people can interact directly with them. While newspapers have opinion columns, television has public stations, and radio offers people call-in-lines, none of these mediums allow people to interact directly with them the way Blogs do. Blogs allow people to link to one another, provide comments to one another, and share information throughout an Internet space that Bloggers have named - the Blogsphere.

The Blogsphere is yet another reason why Blogs stand out over traditional forms of media. The Blogsphere is the universe of Blogs, where people click and link to one another – sharing any and all information that is available on the Web. The Blogsphere is the place to be. You can build relationships, have access to controversial information, and involve yourself with what people are really saying across the Web.

Blogs function as the lie detector tests of traditional media like newspapers, televisions, and radio. Blogs slate the naked truth and can reveal when you lie.


Which leads me to my second point. How powerful are Blogs?

ZDNet reports that by the end of 2005, there will be 53 million Blogs. Pew Internet & American Life state that there are currently there over nine million blogs - and that a new one is created every 5.8 seconds. Also reported was that in 2004, blog readership jumped fifty-eight-percent increasing the total amount of Blog readership across the Internet twenty-seven percent. In addition, twelve-percent of Internet users or fourteen million people say they have posted material or comments on other people’s blogs. For these reasons and more, Blogs are powerful.

Blogs can impact your business almost instantaneously. For example - in September 2004, Engadget, a Blog discussing new and old gadgets, found a way to pick apart a Kryptonite Evolution 2000 U- Lock with a Bic pen. Engadget videotaped their new finding and posted it to its Blog. Word spread so quickly that in less than one day, 120,000 people downloaded the video form the Engadget site. The video cost Kryptonite millions of dollars, not to mention a bit hit of bad publicity. BAM! Like that!

Blogs can also be used to a gain a competitive businesses advantage. As the number of corporate Blogs expands, businesses are learning to use Blogs to expand their reach into new and existing markets. Blogs allow businesses to build relationships and reach potential customers. Through Blogs, businesses can generate buzz and build a reputation.

For example, Jonathan Schwartz, President of Sun Microsystems has a blog. His blog gets roughly 5,000 visits a day. Sounds like a great marketing tool doesn’t it? Blogs aren’t marketing tools. Use it like one, and you will get eaten alive - just ask McDonalds. They set up a Blog to support a Super Bowl advertisement – called the Lincoln Fry Blog. The writers wrote their own comments to each Blog post, while blocking out the rest of the Blogsphere. The end result – we’ll let’s just say that got fried.

Blogs are also having an impact on politics. In the recent 2004 presidential election, eight million people read political blogs. Blogs had an effect on eight million people. This is a significant number considering how close the race the presidential election was. And 2004 was only the first year that Blogs were used during a presidential election. Just wait till the next comes around.

Blogs are powerful because anyone become a writer, a publisher, a news reporter, a detective, what have you. ANYONE.

As a result, Blogs open up a new world of information and I predict that traditional media we rely on for news and information today will slowly be replaced by Blogs. If you accept that premise as true, even for arguments sake, you will understand their power.


With that in mind folks – I warn you: do not ignore Blogs. Do not leave today thinking that Blogs are a fad, just another medium, or another form of communication that will pass. Blogs are here to stay.

If you don’t believe that, consider this: 10,000 people will have started Blogging by this time tomorrow.

Do not ignore Blogs because if you do you will never know what people are really saying about you, your company, and your competitors.

Ignore Blogs and you will miss out on potential business deals, new customers, and new partners. Do not ignore Blogs or your competitors will get ahead.

Ignore Blogs and your voice will not be heard. Your opinions may otherwise be overlooked.

Instead, be one step ahead rather than two steps behind.


Blogs are unlike any medium. They are unedited and controlled by people within the Blogsphere. They can slate the naked truth in a story and can catch lies instanenously. They are powerful. Blogs can impact your business or the outcome of a political campaign. Do not ignore them. Do so and you will lose out on potential business deals and your competitors will get ahead. Bottom line is – Blogs are not a fad, Blogs are here to stay.

Thank you.

~End of Speech