Here’s a great Guide to Blogosphere Jargon that will get you clear on all of the terms thrown around in the blogging world. The list was compiled by Business Week, and includes definitions such as:

MOBLOGGING
Posting to a blog on the go, from a camera phone or handheld device. These postings can be random or tied to news, such as pictures of the iPod Shuffle when it was launched at Apple Computer’s MacWorld, or the birth of a baby.

VIDEO BLOGGING, OR VLOGGING
Video blogging, where individuals and companies post video diaries online, began to take off last year. The trend is spurring the revival of online video distribution, the use of vlogs to sell ads, and the designing of corporate blog sites. Microsoft’s Channel 9 video blog, set up in April, helps the company communicate directly with its all-important developer community.

PODCASTING
The nascent technology allows individuals to create their own radio shows and deliver them automatically over the Web. They can be played on computers or any mobile devices, such as the iPod (hence the name). Although they were created by bloggers and propagated by the blogosphere, the Establishment is jumping in. In April, Paris Hilton announced she would do podcasts promoting her new movie, House of Wax.

RSS
Really Simple Syndication is a snappy way to track blogs. Individuals sign up to have updates sent automatically to their computers, making it convenient to follow blogs. Around 6 million people, or 5% of the U.S. online audience, use RSS, according to a Pew survey. Companies such as Yahoo! and Associated Press are adopting RSS to keep audiences loyal and to attract new users.

FAKE BLOGS, SOMETIMES CALLED FLOGS
Fake blogs created by corporate marketing departments to promote a service, product, or brand. The flog’s writer often uses a fake name. Derided by bloggers, fake blogs are an increasing trend. McDonald’s created a flog to accompany its Super Bowl ad about the mock discovery of a french fry shaped like Lincoln, while Captain Morgan created a fake blog in March for its Rum drinks.

CREATIVE COMMONS
This nonprofit has devised a copyright system that allows creators to be more flexible in allowing others to use their works. This is important in the grassroots blogging world, since it encourages people to publish video, podcasts, and photos online that others can add to their blogs. Online photo service Flickr, co-founded by Caterina Fake, encourages subscribers to share photos using the Creative Commons licenses.

Link thanks to Kris Krug

Small businesses can benefit from blogging in more subtle ways than large businesses. As Harold Jarche points out, blogging is a low cost high-yield tools that small businesses can use to communicate with their customers - especially when its apparent that millions of dollars are not in the bank for traditional marketing campaigns.

A study by HP shows that 10% of small businesses are using blogs as a part of their marketing strategy. You may think this is a small number, but I’d be surprised to find it anywhere near as high for larger businesses. The study found that customer acquisition and retention were large concerns for nearly half of the respondents; this could be a key area where blogs can play a strong role.

When you look into the data more, you find that only about half of respondents have websites, the blogging figure looks pretty strong. There is indication, as well, that blogging in small businesses is not male-dominated, as it has anecdotally been remarked elsewhere. More women small business owners are blogging. And I’m one of them.

Small businesses will benefit quite a lot from SEO strategies and blog design, and that’s where people like me come in as consultants. It is an affordable and large impact solution to making that connection with customers.

No only do we see results in blogging for small business owners in the area of customer acquisition. You have the opportunity to refine and share your ideas about your industry, to get feedback, to archive your ideas in an easy way, to share your ideas with likeminded people, to raise your profile in the industry, to get news faster than the paper (I always find it crazy how true this is), and so much more. There is a lot of power to a blog.

Minimal set up, some configuration and optimization, low maintenance cost, and only your time. But you will find the tool a most powerful one, and one you’ll wonder why you didn’t start earlier.

From Jeff Wuorio, how to make money with your blog:

1. Sell advertising - don’t be afraid to go outbound
2. Use affiliate programs
3. Solicit contributions (writing or tips or support for a cause)
4. Market yourself (your services or product) on your blog (do this carefully)
5. Interact with your customers - develop long term relationships

Good tips to start off with.

Link via ProBlogger.

Here’s an easy and free way to check your AdSense earnings. The tool is not as extensive as the AdSense Logs I previously mentioned, but it has the convenience of being on the statusbar of my Firefox browser.

Link via ProBlogger

Darren of ProBlogger gives some good advice on how to post with the sub-nice idea:

The way I look at is that each Blog should be focused on a niche - but that each post (page) within it should focus in on a sub-niche of the larger one.

Whilst there is a place for the larger post that is a little more general in topic - its can often be more effective to break such posts up into smaller ones (a series if you like) and make each part focus upon one element (keyword).

Your blog will perform better overall, and draw in more readers, if it focuses on one idea. However, within that idea are many different topics - many keywords. Your posts should revolve around as small a component of that larger picture as possible. That way, each post is rich in its own area, but adds also to defining the big picture of what you stand for.

ottergroup.com :: Why RSS is better than Email

Simple argument: RSS does not give you SPAM. You get everything that comes down the feed - no getting lost in SPAM filters. And no unwanted SPAM coming down the RSS feed either.

Darren Rowse takes a look at the pros and cons of choosing a writing strategy based on either original content or syndication.

The discussion boils down to the following:

Original content
1. Takes more time: you must find links to comment on or come up with original material.
2. Will bring in more links, more traffic since you are the author of the opinion.
3. Requires depth, and therefore takes more time. You will post less, overall.
4. Generally creates more of a community of readers and more interaction
5. You need to write well - both grammatically, as well as in terms of engagement

Syndication
1. Time is only based upon finding links.
2. Generates few links.
3. Can post more, quickly. Gives you the opportunity to focus on bredth over depth.
4. Rarely creates a community around the blog - in some cases (especially those where disparate information is drawn in to the niche site), this will be the reverse
5. You don’t need to have the gift of gab, as my mother would say

You will need to weigh the options for yourself - you can mix it up in your blog, of course. I do this often myself.

In terms of generating revenue, there is much debate about which is best. Syndication allows you to post high volume, which attracts a lot of visitors. But those visitors may be less sticky.

From metacool is a good argument in favor of using blogs as a part of the marketing strategy:

any marketing website without a RSS feed should be flushed down the toilet

He’s right, and here’s why: synthetic fables created by ad firms simply can’t compete with honest, soulful stories told direct to you and me from another human being…

RSS combined with authentic, human content signals a new paradigm of marketing communications. The brands and people who will succeed in this new paradigm are the ones with real stories and the guts to tell them without the mediocrity-inducing filter of marketing “professionals”.

I agree very strongly: you must have the guts to stand up for your company and say “we need a blog” and then daily stand up and fight about the voice and content you need to deliver - at least, until the results become obvious and the “ah ha” moment arrives.

Blogs are the new wave for marketing and communication professionals. You might be thinking “well, what if it’s only a fad” or “what if it crashes,” well, think of it this way. People thought fax machines, email, and the Internet would never fly. In some ways, they may have been right - however, it is abundantly clear that each of these mediums have become successful long-term communication options. Blogs are the next phase, and the most powerful to date.

The bandwagon is moving along - jump on or be left behind.

Doc Searls’ keynote at Les Blogs 2005

Great powerpoint slides explaining what a blog is vs what it is not. Think of yourself as a journalist - as one out there to inform, to give opinion. Not to simply spew out information.

Great slide on authority as well. Need some convincing as to why you need to blog or about what a blog is? Look no further.