Google Docs is Powerful

Google Docs can be a powerful tool for any company to enhance their collaboration. Recently, I did a presentation on Google Docs for a class of mine. I have been very impressed by what you can do with it. “Google Docs enables multiple people in different locations to collaborate simultaneously on the same doc from any computer with Internet access.” (http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=44677)
These docs can include: word docs, power point, and spreadsheets. This is a great tool for any company seeing how you can use many different types of documents in it. For example, if I did work in excel on the amount of sales a company had each month I could enable anyone who wanted to see the numbers to see them whenever and where ever they want. They would not have to wait for me to send them the figures at the end of every month. They can log on whenever they have time and see them. They can log on before the end of the month to check on how sales are doing for that month and see them how they are at that moment. This cuts out a lot of lag time in emailing and asking for documents to be emailed and waiting for replies. It saves time, and in saving time you save money. Google Docs can be a powerful tool for any business to enhance their collaboration.

Ten Good Blogs

1. http://www.marieandbrock.blogspot.com/

This is the blog that my wife made for us. That is why I like it so much. It talks about our family and our lives. I think she did a great job.

2. Black Bear Blog (http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/)

I really like this site for a number of reasons. It has links a number of big sporting goods stores, such as Cabela’s. The main thing I like is what they blog about, maintaining wildlife in America. I love wildlife so I like to read articles such as these.

3. ESPN Blogs (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/main)

I like this blog site because it links to individual blogs about individual sports. So, it has a link for college basketball and college football. You can choose any sport blog from this one blog site.

4. Official Utah Jazz Blog (http://www.jazzbots.com/web/)

I really like this blog not just because I am a Jazz fan. It has updates on injuries and players, you can get tickets from there, it has a link to your fantasy basketball, and much more. It has everything that a diehard Jazz fan would want in a blog.

5. Yahoo Finance Blog (http://www.yfinanceblog.com/)

I am beginning to get into stocks. I can read blog post about how to better use Yahoo Finance and get quotes on the blog.

6. Wildlife blog (http://wildlife.utah.gov/blog/)

This is the DWR’s blog. I like it because they blog about fishing forecast, hunting forecast, and other things that are happening with wildlife around the state. They have links to local laws, events, conservation, and media. Great blog for the wildlife enthusiast.

7. BowRun.com (http://www.bowrun.com)

I am interested in bows. I really want to buy a new bow in a couple of years. I like this blog because this gives feedback about bows by the bow hunters themselves. This is direct feedback from the costumers. I really like that concept.

8. Yamaha Blog (http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/yamaha-blog)

I love to ride in the outdoors. I like this blog because they talk about their new products they have coming out.

9. KSL BLOG (http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=202)

I like this because I can read what people think about some of the stories that are posted on KSL. It can be interesting to see what they have to say.

10. Utah.com (http://www.utah.com/travelheadlines/)

This blog is great for people who like to travel around the state. It has post about events that are coming up for those who like to be active. It has links for lodging, maps, weather, and transportation. It has everything you need to know when traveling around Utah.

Ten good corporate blogs

1. The official Wal-Mart blog (http://checkoutblog.com/) I know a lot of people don’t like Wal-Mart but we all still shop there. This blog helps people know things that Wal-Mart is doing in the shopping industry. They talk about new items that they have coming out in every section of the store. This benefits them because they can keep consumers on top of what is going on at Wal-Mart before ever even going shopping.

2. Amazon Daily (http://amazon.com/gp/daily) I think this is a good site because they have information about every type of product available on that blog. It is very user friendly for the consumer.

3. The Fast Lane: GM’s Blog (http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/) GM plays a huge in the corporate world. Many people invest in their company. This company is going to grow larger. Staying on top of what is happening at GM is huge for people thinking about investing in the company.

4. Direct2Dell (http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/direct2dell) Dell is a popular computer company. On their blog site they have something for everyone to enjoy. They have stuff about gaming, healthcare, business strategy, and technology. They also have their blog in multiple languages. This can help them reach out to many different people.

5. Coca-Cola Conversations (http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/) This blog is a great blog for keeping up on what is happening with this company but the main reason I thought it was a good blog is because they have recipes involving coke. People would love that kind of information. At the same time they are talking about these recipes they are selling more of their product. Sound smart to me.

6. NikeBlog.com (http://www.nikeblog.com/) NikeBlog.com I thought was a good blog for a number of reasons. First, people love to shop and buy shoes. Teenagers love to buy shoes and they are the one who are more exposed to blogs. This blog shows new shoes coming out and it is showing them to the people that will buy them. Also from this site you can access their twitter and face book. This also helps in their marketing scheme.

7. The Official Sit of Google Blog (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/) Google’s blog is very helpful to people using Google and anything Google has come out with. This blog talks about new products from Google as well as how to use existing products. I like it for this reason.

8. Yahoo Search Blog (http://www.ysearchblog.com/) I like this blog because I feel it can be very helpful in helping you get the best out of their product. It tells you about their product and can help you get the best use out of it.

9. The appeblog (http://theappleblog.com/) I liked this blog because it appeals to its audience. The first thing you see is stuff about the iPhone. That is a big product from apple. People who go to this blog will probably have an iPhone. This is very appealing to the audience right up front.

10. The Disney Blog (http://thedisneyblog.com/) This blog has everything you want from Disney. They have travel agents, Disney memorabilia, and other Disney information. It is a good blog because it isn’t just for blogging. You can set trips while blogging. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Is blogging a fad?

Is blogging a fad?
"Many executives had a vague idea of what blogging was but dismissed it as a fad or something irrelevant that younger people used to write about there cat." (Blogging for business: everything you need to know and why you should care, by Shel Holtz, Ted Demopoulos) I thought the same way. I thought blogging was for the Internet junkies to keep up on the movie stars and music artist, used to know everything these stars are doing and going to do. Well, that is what I hear on the radio so, that is what I thought. I thought, this is simply a fad that is used to intrude in to peoples lives. I figured we were one step closer to getting rid of this thing we call privacy. But, now I am getting to see the other side of it. Professional blogging. Blogs can be used by businesses for marketing and costumer service. Complain or get information from a business without even talking to anyone. Sounds great to me. According to the "Blogging for business: everything you need to know and why you should care" 70,000 blogs are made daily, the equivalent of one per second. (Blogging for business: everything you need to know and why you should care, by Shel Holtz, Ted Demopoulos) Wow! Whether or not you think it is a fad, that is stunning. They are being used by a lot of people. It would be beneficial to any company to jump on the band wagon. Is blogging a fad? Who knows. The important thing is that there is a great opportunity for any company to reach out client bases they have never had and to have a market they have never had.

Good Blogging Policies

There are many practices that blogger should follow. In an article, written by David D. Perlmutter, some common things that bloggers do that aren't very ethical are listed. Two of these include: plagiarism and misrepresenting themselves or their affiliations. (http://policybyblog.squarespace.com/storage/blogethics--perlmutter.pdf) We all know what plagiarism is and we know that it is illegal and should never be done. Because you can talk to a person you have never before seen or talked to on the internet, it can be so easy to misrepresent yourselves and your company. Doing so is very unethical and in some forms can be illegal as well. These are just two things that should never be done on a blog.

What can professional blogs do for businesses and organizations?

I have been thinking about this question for some time now. I never knew how to answer it because I wasn't sure why a business would want to use one. I found some information that helped me answer the question. In an article from Business Week, by Karen E. Kein, she quoted Patricia Gundry.

"A blog will give you a Web presence that is much more reader- and user-friendly than any ordinary Web site can be. It will also be much less expensive for you to create and maintain," she says. "It will do almost everything a regular Web site can do, and more, and one of the best things is that it can create a more personal relationship with your customer." - Patricia Gundry

(http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/may2006/sb20060515_027053.htm)
I really like the idea of a blog being user friendly. It is easier to navigate a blog than a web page. It would be very easy for a customer or client who has a question to quickly post a blog and ask the question, then have it be answered relatively easily. It is an affective way to market straight to the consumer by making a post on new product or sales or anything of that nature. I feel that professional blogs can be very useful in the marketing area of a business or organization.