7. Hidden Entrance to Press. Journalists are busier than ever and blogs provide a virtual directory of pundits on any topic. You and your company can be content expert they’re looking for. Furthermore, if your company is talked about in blogosphere it could end up using that exposure as a back door to press.

8. Get Published. Publishers are turning to blogs to find new writing talent. Blogs can give a publisher a taste of your writing style as well as a sample of your depth of knowledge. Content specific blogs show a a commitment to a certain topic or subject matter.

9. Write your book. Let your readers help you write your latest book or article. Post chapters or ideas, then let readers help you in researching, testing and suggesting ideas. Or, use a blog after your book is published to update material or to answer questions from readers.

10. Success Stories. Invite clients to blog about their successes with your products and services – it’s like a living testimonial that never ends. As clients share their experiences, your prospects can see first-hand how you can help them, too.

So my updated description of a weblog is:

A blog is an easy, instantly and frequently updated website, focused around a topic, industry or personality.

One big reason businesses (especially small businesses and entrepeneurs) flock to blogs is because they reduce dependency on a web design team to get ideas and announcements online.

Developing a website for your business can take weeks, sometimes months, from shopping for a designer and doing project negotiation phase to getting final site launched. Developing a website can be not only costly, but time consuming.

Many of my clients have found blogs a great way to start out online while they are building their business with eventual goal to move towards a more robust web design solution. Others have moved all of their web sites into a blog format and have vowed to never look back.

You can create a blog and have a website in less than fifteen minutes, for less than $10, with hosting and software included - and, all without having to know anything about web design. With a blog there's ten thousand less decisions to make.

Blogging is fastest, cheapest, easiest way to build a website in time it takes to watch a sitcom.