A blog is an online journal or newsletter that allows two-way communication between the creator of the blog and the audience that reads the blog. In some cases, the creator of the blog uses it in place of a traditional web site.  The blog consists of short, routinely-updated articles written in a first-person, informal style. 

• Stay in touch with your clients
• Reach new constituencies
• Build loyalty
• Establishes two-way communication between company and customers
• Humanizes or personalizes your company
• Share ideas
• Archive information (by date & subject)
• Increase search engine rankings
• Be a thought leader and subject matter expert
• Requested information vs. delivered information
  

“Although Weblogs (blogs) are currently used by only a small number of online consumers, they've garnered a great deal of corporate attention because their readers and writers are highly influential. Forrester believes that blogging will grow in importance, and at a minimum, companies should monitor blogs to learn what is being said about their products and services. Companies that plan to create their own public blogs should already feel comfortable having a close, two-way relationship with users.” – Charlene Li, Forrester