Lately it seems Blogging and becoming a Blogger is all the rage.  They seem to have a power all their own as blogs have been key to the downfalls of major political and media members like Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and CBS news anchor Dan Rather for instance.  At first it seemed an entertainment outlet for teenagers instead of gaming all night, they would Blog as a means of staying in the "know" and making sure their friends knew everything about them. 

Celebrities and other high-profile people seem to use them also to captivate an audience and announce different trends in their lives, mostly personal.  Still Blogs are not just for teenagers, celebrity brats, they're for the average business person, mainly right now it seems Realtors are utilizing the media to market themselves.  And this begs the question do Blogs and the action of Blogging really help businesses?  Are they good marketing tools or just a waste of time?  Can this medium help or hinder your real estate business?  The answer remains in how they are used and to what degree.  It is really all about knowledge.

 Still what is Blog really?  For those of us that remain technically challenged and couldn't be a Web Master if we tried, a Blog is as user friendly as web content comes but it is a way of managing content or a CMS, content management system.  The software involved really does all the work for the Blogger and this allows just about anyone to create and maintain a Blog.  This action of maintaining or updating the Blog is known as the verb form of Blogging as well as someone who Blog is a Blogger.  The individual Blogs are also known as posts and they are usually organized in reverse chronological order.  The most up to date material will be viewed first.  Still with all the Blogs in the Super Information Universe, what makes a Blog unique, eye catching?  What makes it a different media from just a web site or a forum, email or other e-based media?  How is this method unique in format and material?  Can this be found in the way it balances technology with individual expression?

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Constantly on the Internet and even in junk mail of your email account, there are many lists of "ways to make money with a website" or other online business proposals.  All of these lists seem to be missing something and that is why I thought I would compile one of my own.  If you have any possible suggestions, please let me know and we will amend this list to include them.

 You should make note that there is a distinct difference between ways to make money with a web site than ways to make money from it.  What this means really is that there is a difference in methods used for encouraging traffic and actually methods of increasing profits, in general.  I mean you can drive traffic to the site but that doesn't bring about the big moneymakers, only the click thru amounts. 

A good example of this contrast is the sense that just by combining AdSense ads with the web text is a way to make money from a website.  Couldn't be further from reality.  No that is only a tool for making more money and only serves to increase the ad click rate.  The real money can be found with a PPC ad network.

As a result this list can be categorized as direct and indirect schemes.  Below are illustrations with links to better orient you to this way of thinking.  

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Never before has it been more necessary for a company to use internet marketing tactics to not only capture market presence but to also learn about their target audience. Suffice it to say that no longer is there such a thing as brand loyalty and it is the job of a good marketer to understand what makes the mind of the consumer tick. The advent of new technology within our global culture has created a faster than light mentality toward information. From an advertising and PR standpoint, the main concern is that the customer be sent the correct information, at the correct time and in the correct format, wording style.

Our concerns are that with the current housing market and competition at an all time high due the bursting bubble that an organization such as ours benefit from these practices in the most positive of lights as well as protect itself from future problems. As a result, there must be an understanding of the customer and their needs, in other words, now it is most important to understand the target audience.

Essentially a marketing strategy is built around the core values, vision and objectives of the organization. Study of market strategy one becomes aware that in order to have product, price, promotion or placement, the organization must have done its research on the market and the consumer need for its service. Without an understanding the targeted audience, the organization cannot market at all. It is important to work the product, its price, distribution and promotion around the needs of the people and of course, from there, work to persuade segments of the segment into wanting the product. This is called product diversification. Not everyone can afford to be a homeowner right now but a smart realtor will play up the prospect of this happening for future buyers. They will encourage fist time home buyer education and seminars to understand getting a deal in a tight market. Still this environment is cut throat with many threats to income. Consumers are more wary of huge purchases with the current economy and many are looking to the future leadership of this country to set the tone.

What many business people starting out really do not understand about marketing and understanding the average consumer is that more that likely the target is open to finding information about your product or service. It may be they are unaware the need is not satisfied yet but until the need is defined, they will not be receptive. They just need a little push in the right direction. Still it is your job and the purpose of the marketing strategy to define who should be looking for you. Without a clear picture of this, networking or customer relationships cannot be formed on a wink and a prayer. There needs to be a plan. Still this is not to say that your customer will not be diverse in nature. I mean everyone needs a place to call home whether they rent or buy. So it is important that your web site be driven by these defining variables.

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Social networking - you've heard of it but do you know the magnitude of what it really means? 

 Social networking happens because individuals chose specific clubs or groups of people in which to hang with because of their individual interests.  These groups can be found in any demographic found smaller, rural communities to the expanding suburbs and metropolitan areas, urban and fast paced.  While social networking traditionally has been done in person at meetings or in the workplace, lately it seems it is most popular online as a means of creating virtual communities.  The Internet has made it possible for people to have friends all over the world brought together by common interests like knitting or rebuilding Ford transmissions.  Universities are even creating virtual learning centers to replace the more traditional classroom.  Where will it stop?

For online social networking web sites become important gathering places.  The web site becomes a channel, a social site for people's virtual selves to congregate.  Once you have gained free access to these social sites, you can begin networking and socializing with others, even start discussing different topics about your common interest.  The key is learning about people from their profiles and even contacting them about their experiences.

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