the elevator pitch

In 1444, when Johann Gutenberg mastered his printing press, the world of business and literacy was transformed. Books made of paper and not expensive parchment became accessible to the masses. The dissemination of advertising content was made cheaper, allowing for farther reach by more members of the business class. Announcements and declarations, such as Martin Luther’s 99 Theses, became possible. The possibilities of publishing opened to people beyond just those in royalty or the clergy, spawning the first Information Age.

We are in the midst of another such revolution. The Internet has replaced Gutenberg’s printing press and the blog format has usurped newsprint. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can now be a publisher and can do so without spending any money.

Like with anything that possesses the capacity to change the world, the traditional powers are slow to adapt, allowing market share to be lost to first adopters. Through blogs, small- and mid-sized businesses have the opportunity to not only capture public attention, but to evolve into popular publishers themselves. That power allows them to build communities, steer messaging, spread their brand and increase profits. Large businesses have similar opportunities, as well as the power to balance reporting by mainstream news media through their own blogs.

“I can spend three hours talking about a topic, and the media will edit it to fit the three-minute segment or 500-word column. That’s far from the most efficient way to communicate. The blog changes all that,” says Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and HDNet, and a blogger since 2003.

According to a report in Forbes magazine, 50 million Americans regularly read blogs. Forbes also stated that blogs are appearing on the Internet at a rate of an astonishing 12,000 per day.

When done creatively and within the spirit of the 21st Century’s Information Age, blogs can do what any traditional publication aims to do: build and maintain an audience. Rather than simply promote products and services, successful blogs turn news, data, analysis and opinion into a commodity.

“The term blog is already beginning to be outdated,” says Elevation PR Editorial Director Adrian Brijbassi. “The best of these sites have evolved from journals and diaries to publications of merit. A niche news site that is well written, effectively optimized to pull in traffic from search engines, and relates to the audience can position business owners or executives as leaders within their industry.”

Blogs also give media members another source for reference as well as allow publishers to retain more control over their image and brand. As Jason Schwarz, COO of Sun Microsystems and a blogger since 20004, says, “There’s a free market of ideas out there. And I’d rather be driving the dialogue than be run over by it.”

PHOTO: Mark Cuban gets to say what he wants on his blog.