 There are, we are told, 57 million blogs in the world, most read only by a handful of people, perhaps a wife, a husband, a mother of the person so earnestly tossing his or her creative thoughts into the made-up world of the blogosphere.
In some ways it seems rather pathetic, this striving for attention with pseudo intellectual white noise. In other ways - a direction I much prefer - it is nothing short of brilliant, an intellectual exercise defining a cultural phenomenon.
It is metaphorically news anchor Howard Beale in the movie "Network" shouting: "I'm mad as hell and I am not going to take this anymore." It is Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." It is the political junkie given a platform.
It is that puny voice gathering strength.
But, in some cases, it is the company CEO mouthing banalities written for him by someone in the public affairs, marketing or public relations department. It is the fraud recently perpetrated by Edelman PR, pretending that two bloggers were independent from the company's client, Wal-Mart.
It is probably true, as the experts say, that there are only 4,000 really influential blogs, and many of those are written in languages, such as Chinese and Japanese, that most westerners don't understand. Really influential is noted by those with 500 links attached to or from an individual site.
But, who cares? Is it really important to be up there with the lofty 4,000?
It is difficult for a blog to become a mainstream method of communication. By definition and heritage it is not. The way I see it, blogs-business or personal-represent an alternative communications stream seeking a unique audience.
For instance, my own blog, The Jolly Roger, is an appendage to our company site. Since I already write a column for the on-line marketing and PR site, PRschik, why not put some of those observations in the form of a blog.
Whether this represents a lack of honesty in the land of the blogosphere, I don't know. I consider it a lucky strike extra, and an extenuation of coverage for those who are not among the 1,000 visitors going to the marketing site each day.
Is it influential? Certainly not, if one defines influence by gross impressions. I am quite satisfied if one or two people stumble on to either the PRschik site or the Jolly Roger blog and learn something they might not have previously known.
This select and very small audience might merely be among the curious, or, certain individuals caught in the blog's crosshairs might actually be potential clients, or potential employees, or potential advocates for our company.
In other words, diminished expectations can still bring a smile to my face if the blog acts as a sometimes Venus flytrap for commerce. This does not happen often, but when it does, it can result in a bonanza.
Should every business have a blog? I don't think so.
I think a business needs a clear purpose for a blog. Blogs are not the same as company websites, which have become a necessity. Websites are the yellow pages of yesteryear. Blogs lean toward comment and commentary.
I am suspicious of a company blog in which the CEO talks about his company and his products. He becomes a shill masquerading as an unbiased expert. The commentary he presents is mere blogosphere clutter.
On the other hand, a CEO genuinely commenting about issues within his industry - and actually saying something - is worth a glance, particularly if they are really his thoughts and his wording and not those of some ghostwriter.
In the final analysis, blogs are about individuals, not companies. They are about opinions, not product attributes presented in a sales message. They are about commentary, not blather.
In other words, perhaps something your mom might want to read.
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