Blogging: Know When To Hold 'em

When you are writing a business blog (b-blog) you need to make sure you do not pass along business secrets. This is as true for employees as well as the business owner.

Because each business is based on an individual model developed to highlight the expertise and personality of the business owner it should not come as a surprise that there are business models in place that are unique to the business.

You may feel that the information is not a 'big deal', but you should know the information 'can and will be used against you' to quote the famed Miranda rights.

Pssst. Come Here

Essentially you can supply industry information, but should refrain from offering company secrets. You may be surprised at how many individuals will view your blog and many of them will be competitors. Allowing others to have some insider knowledge about your company can negatively affect your business.

This is essentially a cardinal rule of business blogging. You may want to develop your own set of policy statements that can assist you in making sure you are putting your best foot forward in your role as a provider of knowledge-based content.

Don't Dance Alone

You should also remember that blogging is a bit like tango - it takes two. You can provide information and your visitors can provide comments. Make sure that the information you provide is interesting and will encourage visitors to make a return trip to your blog.

Edit First and Often

You should also make sure to edit (or have someone edit for you) your blog. Nothing will be as quick a turn off to visitors as a blog filled with spelling and grammar mistakes. It might make sense to develop your blog in a word processing program and then cut and past that material into your blog.

We've all come across blogs where it seems that author simply threw it together on the fly. In those moments we make a mental note not to return. There really is no excuse for error filled content in your business blog. If you do notice a mistake, even after original editing, go back and edit your blog as soon as you can.

Posts Reflect Who You Are

The good news is you don't have to do extensive research to present content on subject you are unfamiliar with, just stick with content you are familiar with. If you come across something that is well written on a subject you don't feel comfortable writing about simply provide a direct link for visitors.