To blog or not to blog...

It seems every day, more and more people are taking the plunge. They are starting their own blogs. Becoming as common as a diary to a 16-year-old girl in the '50s, blogs take the personal monolog to the public arena. We impart our thoughts, musings, and words of subjective wisdom to the masses - sometimes as much for our own edification as anything else. Blogs do at least three things: Give us a voice to the world; conversely, give the world something more from which to glean; and the original intent, to act as a dynamic draw through the search engines.

As I've written before, the technology of today allows closet artists, writers, and musicians to create and express themselves like never before. And this is both a bane and a boon. As all works of the creative mind are subject to interpretation, criticism, and judgment, some might argue that much of today's creative output would have best been left in the minds of the creators. So, too, might be the case with many blogs. Indeed, although anyone has the right to go forth and blog, the rest of the connected universe has zero obligation to read any of it, much less appreciate the effort set forth. Each time we create something, we take a crapshoot leap of faith that it'll resonate with someone. (Unless we create purely for self expression. And that's cool, too.)

But there's something that troubles me. And something that troubles many others, particularly a very important segment of our world: the almighty client. In the corporate world, most of these folks have their metaphoric hands and tongues tied. Open communication is often an oxymoron, as the watchful eye of Big Brother filters through nearly every piece of electronic correspondence. Compliance and legal departments have found new paranoia over the prospects of having to check the bazillion pages of employee-contributed blog posts, scrutinizing for anything that might be deemed inappropriate, unacceptable, nonfactual, damaging, slandering, or just plain uncool. Are the watchful eyes of The Man afraid his faithful servants would bring down the corporate house of cards with the power of words? Truly, the pen (virtual or otherwise) is mightier than the sword. And this scares the pants off corporate America. One thing that's sorely needed is an agreement between responsible action on part of the employee and trusting latitude on part of the employer.

Why is this so important? Because blogs are here to stay, and they are changing the world. How? By changing the way people communicate with one another - from Main Street to Wall Street - and it's people that constitute the fabric of business. Every company out there - small or large - is a box of people. And each and every box has the potential to connect to one another in the rapidly expanding social media network that is the blogosphere. This really should not be a foreign concept to any company who's already communicating and conducting business through the Internet.

It will be the wise and sensible companies that embrace blogging, perhaps instituting a formal plan of education for its employees on its power and potential. Encourage employees to share their knowledge, insights, and stories. Share their wisdom, and capitalize on the investment and equity a company has in its employees by allowing them to position themselves as experts and leaders.

Simply put, blogging in the corporate world is like tapping into the energy of the sun. It can instantly add a host of new brand ambassadors, from the mailroom to the boardroom. It takes people out of their cubicles and out into the community.