Blogs Keep Internet Customers Coming Back
Today's Wall Street Journal, a daily read of mine, states that "The blog as business tool has arrived." It goes on to say, "Communication through a blog is as intimate and personal as somebody sitting in your kitchen."

This is not to say blogs are for every enterprise. I once suggested a blog to the president of Dickinson College. He was enthusiastic until one of his advisors pointed out that the comments section could be used by somebody with an axe to grind. I countered that he could edit the comments, or turn them off completely, but the damage had already been done. He thanked me for the suggestion and we moved on. I guess one has to be thick-skinned to compose a blog and it certainly helps if you can do it without fear of retribution.

As for corporations using blogs as a business tool, I think they will continue to find it an excellent way to interact with customers and to build customer loyalty. The only caveat would be to keep it from becoming too personal, in other words, an easy outlet for someone looking to damage the reputation of a top officer of the company.