Business 2.0: Why blogs mean business.

Folks have forgotten that blogs work because people have something to say and others find what they say valuable. Our business culture works the same way — it runs on the currency of influence, authority, and relationships. People who have strong and well-informed opinions command respect and become influencers; they win deals, drive decisions, and ultimately determine the fate of companies. The thirst for high-end business information — the kind that makes people feel like influencers — has created a $15 billion professional publishing market in the United States alone.

The only thing I would add is that blogs and their companion RSS feeds create an environment that allows you to process information much more effectively. When the formation of opinions takes place in an environment where there are multiple original sources and where comment and, yes, criticism are encouraged, you are bound to get better opinions or at least more accurate ones.  Email was a big jump is speeding that process up.  As for publishing, blogs are a quantum leap ahead of email.

[Scott Young's Radio Weblog]