Blogs: The voices of choice

Blogs have become an important part of business life, both for individuals to express their opinions and as a way for organizations to communicate with their staff and the public. Finding your way around the “blogosphere” is not easy, however, as hundreds of thousands of blog entries are posted daily. One way to find a trustworthy blog is through personal recommendations. Our favourites listed below, grouped into the sections you’ll find in Business Spotlight.

What is a blog?

A blog, short for “weblog”, is an online journal where people record their thoughts on a regular basis, and visitors comment on them. Typically, a blog combines images, text and links to other articles or blogs. Each blog entry is known as a “post”. A blog that consists of videos is called a “vlog”. Blogs form part of the social media in which online users interact with each other. The “blogosphere” is the collective community of all blogs.

How to find a blog

• Google “blog” and your area of interest, or google “blog  directories”.
  

• Use blog search engines such as Technorati, Bloglines, BlogScope, Google’s blog finder or Yahoo’s blog finder.

• Check the directories of free online blogging services (for example, blogexplosion.com , blog.com or wordpress.com). Mostly, however, they will give information only on member blogs.

• When you find a blog you like, check its “blogroll”, the list of recommended blogs that are usually found on the side of the blog.

• Google any of your favourite sources of information — a publication, company, institution or even a government — and check if they have any blogs.

Business Spotlight’s bloggers

Here online, you will find four blogs that are updated regularly:

• Deborah Capras, deputy editor and content manager, uses her blog Wise Words to take a critical look at word usage in current news stories.

• Helen Strong, author of Business Spotlight in the classroom, provides useful tips and comments for business English trainers.

• Robert Gibson, author of the main intercultural articles in Business Spotlight, shares his wide intercultural knowledge and humour with us.

• Ian McMaster, editor-in-chief, comments on global business issues and news, with the occasional help of his economist parrot, Maynard.