Thank you Idaho Statesman for your informative article on blogging that was featured on the front page of the March 2 edition.

I was in agreement with almost all the insight and advice provided in the article other than one notable exception: “Most companies can start blogging for between $25,000 and $45,000.” As principle with a marketing company focused on providing blogging solutions this statement strikes me as absurd, even laughable.

The fact is, any business that has a truly unique message and a passion to share it can be successful at blogging regardless of their budget or lack thereof. For those who have no budget at all, companies like Google and FeedBurner provide advanced blogging, podcasting, and RSS services at no charge whatsoever.

Sincerely,

Douglas Case
CEO
RisingLine New Media Marketing

We’re tweaking the focus of our blog. While it’s been great to have our blog posts mentioned by the likes of Ford Motor Company and feedback from by companies such as Hitachi, Dell, and Fiskars, we want to turn our focus back to a less heady style that puts us more in the real day-to-day world of our typical client, who coincidentally isn’t any of the companies I just mentioned.

What the heck am I talking about? Well, for example while my commentary on Fiskars contained insight on their great strategy for growing business through utilizing technology, it was something that took a bit to actually read and distill. We are finding our typical client may like to read such posts, but reality is they are often too busy. The goal of our new blog direction is to present more concise post with immediate and clear communication of the topic, strategy and benefit and then when applicable provide our readers a segue for expanded reading.

Stay tuned and let us know what you think.

Despite all the negative publicity from some pundits on the effectiveness of blogging, the current trend of corporate blogging is gaining momentum. For instance, there are twice as many Fortune 500 companies blogging today as there was a year ago, and I would estimate that number to grow substantially as the need for dynamic Web applications grows.

So why is it that corporations are starting to buy into the blogging trend? I would narrow it down to these basic factors:

- The necessity to edit and update information on the Web instantaneously

- The need to reach out to and engage customers rather than passively addressing them through advertising

- The reality that consumers are more savvy today than a few years ago; and they demand relevant and up-to-date content via the Web

As the blogging phenomenon continues to evolve and progress, the realization that a blog is far more than a rant platform or a personal Web page will bring more companies into the fold. A blog is not simply a tool in which to share personal opinions, but rather a communications device that allows businesses like to reach out to and communicate with targeted audiences.

Articles of Reference:

CEO’s Blogging

Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki

Blogging Myths