Over the last several years, blogging has become a very popular way to communicate. We've all seen the power bloggers have had on news and politics, but lesser known is business blogging. If done right, it can be a very effective marketing tool. You see, blogging is very much like publishing an article or sending out a press release. Blogging can draw new visitors to your web site. It can also be an effective way to relay more details about your products or services than you can on a web page. But just how do you get started?

This past twelve months has been one of wonderful highs and an equal number of out of control lows. The highs have all been centered around the success of my clients. It's great when I get a call saying how the last thing I did worked as expected. The calls typically start with "Thanks" followed by "Can you do something to accomplish _______?" That almost always means more business, and that makes me happy.

For many businesses, well designed web sites have eliminated the need for elaborate printed catalogs but not for all businesses. More and more, purchasers are turning to the web to research solutions to their needs. More than 60% of new equipment or new source decisions are made after research on the web. That also means that almost 40% of those decisions are not.

I am often asked about blogging for business. We all hear about bloggers. News people don't like them, unless they are one. They claim that they are illegitimate deliverers of news because they offer more opinion than news. Politicians claim that bloggers work for their opponents. They are both wrong.

I often get the question, "Can I use the same web host for my new site?" The answer is almost always a definite maybe. Oh, I know that no one likes to change. I also know that there are a lot of good and inexpensive web hosts. Many of my clients were hosting with the last person who put their site together, which I recommend against even if it's me. For less than $80 a year, you can have plenty of storage, fast loading of your sites, plenty of databases and unlimited email accounts. You will also get a ton of features you will probably never use.

Neither did I, until I ran into my neighbor. My dog was taking me for a walk around the subdivision when we ran into Todd. Well, actually Todd was running. We met the same way just a year earlier and did a little business together, so naturally I asked, "How's business?"