Internet Blogs: Are They Just A Fad?

Kristi Stangeland

NBC Nightly News has one. The Washington Post updates its daily. In fact, the New York Times has devoted one entirely to the Financial Standards Accounting Board. What’s holding the attention of the world these days? Blogs.

Originally deemed a “Web log,” this term shortly took a backseat to the word “blog” because – when pronounced with sloppy diction – it is heard as “Weah-blog.” The name stuck. Due to the immense popularity of blogs over the last few years, you might think they are a new online development. In actuality, blogs have been simmering on the back burner in Cyberspace for years and have just recently come to a boil.

Justin Hall, who began 11 years of personal blogging in 1994 while a student at Swarthmore College, is generally recognized as one of the earliest bloggers according to Wikipedia. com. While mainly considered glorified personal journals, fledgling blogs paved the way for those with more substance. In 2001, blogging took on a political overtone with the emergence of several top-authority blogs. Afterwards, the blogosphere opened wide and blogs on practically every topic began colonizing the Internet.

What Makes Blogs So Popular?

People want information. Likewise people also want to be heard. Because of the format blogging takes – the blog owner posts a topic then allows others to comment – it seems natural that this type of communication would be well-received. But there is more to blogging than dispensing information to the general population.

Relevance is key to successful blogging. When you put your authoritative information in front of people who want to read it and who trust you, a natural fit occurs with need and solution coming together.

The State of Blogs Today

With most fads, the rush is over within a short period of time. Particularly on the Internet, quirks come and go with lightning speed. Considering that blogging has celebrated its 12-year anniversary and is still on an upswing, it’s safe to say that blogs are a long-term addition to the World wide Web.

According to blog-tracking company, Technorati, about 100,000 new weblogs are created each day with the total blog count doubling approximately every 230-days. Of the top 50 authoritative mainstream news sites, 12 are blogs. The other 38 are traditional, long-standing news sources including CNN, USA Today and others.

A fact that is not surprising is that blogging is a global phenomenon spanning a minimum of 10 languages. What might not be expected is that Japanese is the second most popular language for blog posts following English. Chinese ranked third.

As is typical with the Internet, what started as a little idea has expanded into a new means for personalized communication on every scale from local to global.

Advantages of Blogging for Readers

Should you begin a blog for your firm’s clients? That’s a decision you will want to consider after weighing the costs (in both time and dollars) against the potential gains. If you do choose to enter the blogosphere, you’ll be giving some notable advantages to your clients because blogs are:

• Long-Term – Blogs are normally archived and searchable from your Web site. This means your blogs can potentially be ranked highly in important search engines. This would contribute to bringing in additional prospects that have entered queries for topics your blog posts have covered.

• Interactive – People can discuss the information, ask questions, make suggestions and more.

• Current – Dealing with the here and now, blogs offer up-to-the-minute information. This is especially important with critical areas such as personal or business accounting.

• Viral – Because your blog posts will normally center on issues which are of great interest to your clients, they are likely to share links to the blog with their friends and/or collegues. This type of word-of-mouth occurrence on the Internet is referred to as “viral marketing.”

• Non-Intrusive – Unlike other forms of communication (such as email), blogs don’t push information at the reader. Rather, interested clients and prospects visit the blog at their own pace.

• Considered Authoritative – For many clients, the use of technology is a plus that confirms your practice’s status as a trusted authority.

And for your firm? Are there advantages there also? Absolutely! Operating a blog is an exceptional way to build relationships with your clients, especially those who have difficulty reaching you during traditional business hours.

Disadvantages of Blogs

There are expenses involved in setting up and maintaining a blog, though most are minimal to moderate. In addition to the monetary cost, however, there is also the consideration of time. Blogs are only effective if they are updated regularly. That usually means making posts to the blog daily or, at the very least, weekly. If you’re unable or unwilling to make that kind of commitment, blogging might not be your best alternative.

While it may seem the Internet is saturated with enough blogs to last a lifetime, the truth is – in comparison to the ever-growing online population – the landscape is sparse. There is still plenty of room for more. Your clients may currently turn to other sources for online accounting news and updates. However, I’m willing to say with almost 100 percent certainty they would rush to read your firm’s blog simply because you are their preferred and most trusted source of information.

Kristi Stangeland is a licensed CPA formerly with Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Salomon Smith Barney. With a background in accounting, technology, business strategy and the arts, and as author of Effective Web sites for CPAs: Grow Your Practice and Profits, she is inherently qualified to develop CPA Web sites. If your firm is interested in creating an online presence or purchasing the book, contact Stangeland online at www.KLSWebSolutions.com or by phone at (914) 478-8480.

AZ CPA – February 2007