To Blog or Not To Blog (or What I Learned in Iceland)

I have been on vacation for the past week roaming around Iceland and hardly thinking about the Internet. But when I saw Matt Marshall's announcement of the launch of VentureBeat, I was reminded of a question I have pondered over the past months: what is the value of a blog for mere mortals? I don't mean for people like Matt and Om Malik. I mean for people like me.

Here are the facts:

• It has given me a chance to be introduced to the world of blogging -- quite important to our clients.
• The simple fact of writing regularly causes me to think about things in ways I might not otherwise.
  
• In one case, blogging had direct impact on business when a new-business prospect commented that he could get a feel for our approach and for me by reading "The High Concept."
• As a follow-on to this experience, I realized that a blog has the potential to be a "living brochure". That is, it can provide an ongoing glimpse into the thinking of our firm. (I have shared this insight with several people who have subsequently started their own blogs for this purpose.)
• As such, it makes me realize this is one more example of the newly dynamic nature of communications. There is no limit to how often you can present yourself and by whom it will potentially be seen (unlike the "olden" days). But, in sticking with my ongoing refrain, it is more important than ever to have a clear sense of the messages you want to communicate and maintain consistency.

On balance, while I am not Matt or Om (or Seth or Robert and Shel, etc), it's a worthwhile effort.

But I bet no one in Iceland is reading "The High Concept".