Look Sid, I am finally writing

Siddharth here (the owner of this blog), is an addicted blogger himself and to pass on his passion, has introduced this whole new world to not-so-tech-savvy friends of his. And he has even been generous enough to me to grant access rights to post on his blog!

Blogging, to my mind, though endearing at times, is not addictive. When blogging was a new fad, I was scandalized at the very concept. It was like a personal diary kept open for public viewing! But over the years the perspective has changed. It means a lot of things to me today – it is a window to how an individual feels, a forum for discussion and more importantly an outlet.

People are born with varied skills. Some of us play music, some of us sing, others are active in sports and the rest of us blog! For someone like me, who constantly needs to express her thoughts, blogging has definitely proved to be panacea. Hence blogging can now be safely termed as a hobby. Infact for some it is already proving to be a profession!

However the power of the blog is yet to be exploited. I would not want to comment on blogs kept by celebrities, as it is just a PR exercise and I definitely believe that they are the last people to sit and write when they can pay for the service. And what never ceases to amaze me, is that there are takers for this gimmick! Wow! People are just waiting out there to lap up every word and discuss it till death!

But I would like to comment on blogs as a marketing tool.

Of late, blogs have become a platform for the introduction of new products, ideas, services by various entities. Authors, film stars, corporates are all leveraging on the power of the written word. Blogging is now, no more in fashion. It has become a way of life. If you want to make a statement – start a blog! As a marketing tool, blogging is indeed changing the way we sell. What better publicity then inviting people to discuss about your products generating instant customer feedback!

Think of the amount of money you can save on advertising, promotions etc by simply blogging. Apart from the financial aspect, you are empowering your customer to comment and valuing it too! Word of Mouth has never generated better business! And I say why not.

But at the same time it saddens me when someone blogs as an excuse for selling his/her product. Very few have maintained the fine line between business and hobby which is steadily blurring.

A blog is a forum over which people connect and share ideas. It is not a place where you pimp your wares and that is what it is steadily becoming. Blogs with confused articles and statements are more endearing than blogs with incisive messages hell bent on persuading you to sample the produce. A reality that is not only undermining but completely demeaning the basic idea behind blogging.