When blogs first came out, no one really knew what they were for. They were supposed to be diaries, but diaries are meant to be private so why put them online? And if you did put one online, why would anyone want to read it?
And if someone did want to read it, how you could earn money from those viewers?
Today, the answers to all of those questions have become clear. Blogs can be about anything, not just your daily life. Make it interesting, and people will stop by to read it. Implement ads carefully on that blog, and you can make money out of your popularity.
But now that the blogging world has matured a little, it\’s become clear that blogs have uses beyond the ad revenue that they can bring in. They\’re important for search engine optimization. They can provide a focus for a community. And they can help to support a commercial site as well.
That happens most effectively when you\’re also using social media. Bring together a commercial site that sells your products or services, a blog that reveals who you are and attracts an audience, and a Facebook presence and Twitter timeline that keep that audience engaged and interested, and you\’re on your way to a winning Internet business.
But you\’re not there yet, of course.
The products or services you sell on your commercial site still have to be good enough for people to want to buy them. Your blog has to be interesting enough for people to want to read it, link to it and tell their friends about it. And your tweets have to be regular and personal enough to allow potential customers and readers to feel that they\’re in touch with you, that they like you and they\’d like to do business with you.
None of these things is difficult any more. They take time and they take effort, but they don\’t take massive amounts of specialized knowledge or great technical skills. Get your blogging, selling and community-building right, and you\’ll have everything you need.