The Internet revolution is responsible for two of dumbest names in business. The first is "Web." Try telling your grandmother what you do for a living with that name. The next is "blog." Most people have heard about blogs (short for Web logs). There are millions of them - most with little commercial value, but many with significant social, political or cultural merit.

However, that is changing. The business community is beginning to embrace blogs for their marketing and commercial potential. Business blogs that are well-written, focused on topics relevant to customers, employees, and interest groups are becoming new company "voice."

Blogs offer a new way to communicate with clients, potential clients, and any interested parties. Popular forms of business communication include press releases, newsletters and e-newsletters, Web sites and mailings. But these are all one-way communications. Blogs offer opportunity to interact and create a dialogue about a product or service.

Recently, e-mail newsletters helped "push" a business message to an "opt-in" audience. But spam filters, which battle increased junk e-mailings, may prevent a message from reaching its intended target. Today, people come directly to blogs for information. There is a twist. They subscribe to RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feeds, which notify a subscriber's news aggregator (like Bloglines) that blog has new posts.

Business blogs can be simple, light-hearted stories, straightforward informational articles or brief commentaries about news and issues. Each opens an opportunity for discussion about your product or service.