The primary function of this blog is to discuss and track developments related to enterprise blogging. To prove that business blogging has come of age and organisations are now beginning to understand that blogs as both a concept and a technology can extend far beyond a simple online diary. Companies can take advantage of blogs to save time and money, while improving their strategic positioning. The enterprise blog is the perfect vehicle for taking the data most critical to strategic decision making, and turning it into valuable, actionable information. The enterprise blog takes the benefits of corporate intelligence and puts it into a truly useful format.

To be sure, blogs can have some unique applications in an enterprise:

• Blogs can be useful sources of information for business, particularly as each one may present information from a different point of view;

• Blogs can be used for communication within the enterprise as well as for communication with clients and others outside the enterprise. Like other collaborative tools, blogs are effective for companies that encourage cross-functional communication. They provide individual workers and teams with easy-to-use tools to deliver critical real-time intelligence to customers, partners, investors, and indirectly to internal decision-makers;

• Blogging can be a tool for project management. Good blogging software provides facilities for organizing and managing timelines and information from a variety of sources;

• Blogs can be used as a competetive intelligence tool, particularly for carrying out research to support new business proposals or product development;

• Blogs can be used for marketing, for example as a way to connect with potential customers. Customers who check in regularly will be more likely to purchase a new product or be faithful users of the services offered. Blogs can be used as an alternative to email marketing, or as a marketing tool in their own right. Marketing -oriented blogs enable enterprises to provide information and discussion about new products and about developments within the enterprise;

• Blogs have been promoted as a toll for knowledge management and knowledge sharing. They can help capitalise on a wide variety of areas of expertise within a group, encourage contributions from different people, and provide a basis for internal data feeds so that they can be viewed in context. The recognition provided by signed blog entries provides motivation for people to participate; they get credit for their ideas;

• Customer service is an area in which the potential of blogging is being explored. Blogs could provide customers with information about products, assessment of the value of the products in particular settings, contact information and direct contact with people who are using the product, tracking of updates to the product and new versions or functions;

• A blog can be used as a newsletter or can take the place of a newsletter; it is a form of online publishing. This is particularly the case with one-way blogs, but nevertheless the capacity for users to comment does make a useful addition to the traditional newsletter format.