There’s always something to howl about.

From Blogs to Klogs: How Blogging Will Become Useful

Blogging is a fad and by definition, it will eventually run its course and fade away to a small niche. Blogs will be the bell-bottom pants of Web 2.0. The technology of Blogging will not go away, but the style of what we now do on Blogs will change significantly and will be renamed “Klogs” (more on that later).

How can I make such a claim in the face of overwhelming statistics documenting the growth and popularity of Blogs? That’s an easy question. My answer: because this is a Blog post and I can spew whatever opinion I wish and the only thing you can do is try to out-spew me with your own opinion. But spewing opinions is not what is going to undo Blogging – lack of civility will keep Blogs out of the mainstream.  Simply put, corporate leaders have not embraced the Blogosphere because many Blogs often spiral down into a pit of venom and character assassination while hiding behind a cloak of anonymity. Many Blogs revel in being snarky because it gets them quick exposure and generates lots of readers and comments. It is all in good fun until someone gets their eye poked out.

Corporate leaders are fearful of Blogs because these freeform formats of fun are too risky for the image of the Company.  Sure, many corporations have started a Blog, but most are tame, humorless, boring sites used for product promotion and press releases.  The NAR Blog is a good example of that.  These are not real Blogs because the writers are not free to say what they think; rather, they must say what the company wants to say/hear.

Because there is not widespread adoption of Blogging on the corporate level – and VERY few individuals are making money off their Blogs – I can only draw the conclusion that Blogging will fade away to the fashion status of bell-bottoms, or at least not reach a significant level in business communications.  Without adoption by the business community, Blogging will not have sustainable cache’ and, I believe, has almost peaked in popularity.

Currently there are about 4 Blog readers for every 1 Blog.  In the real estate market, 4 “buyers” for every property is great, but in communications, that is an unsustainable number.  In addition, Blogs have a very low level of credibility (ironically, I site a Blog as the source of Blogs having a lack of credibility).  Capitalist, however, often see beyond such shortcomings and adapt a product for use in a business environment.  Thus, I predict that we will soon see phase two of the Weblog and it will be called a Worklog or Klog.

What is a Klog?  A Klog is a private Internet discussion site that provides employees, entrepreneurs, and scientist a freeform format to discuss, develop, and debate issues, products and services without the fear that is attached to Blogs.  By “private” I mean password or firewall protected from the general public.  Businesses may shun the risks associated with Blogs, but they will recognize that the technology – which is simple and powerful – has many valid business applications.  Klogs can replace many meetings, connect employees from all over the world to discuss product development, and document the entire thought process.  Klogs will be a powerful new business tool for the transfer and storage of knowledge much like Blogs are able to transfer and store opinions.  Klogs will not be as fun as Blogs, but that’s why they call it work.

Here’s a Klog image for you to consider:  E-mail – “Greg, we have set up a Klog at http:RotaryKlog.net to discuss the failings of Realtor.com to position itself as a valuable asset in the minds of NAR members.  Categories have been set up to discuss the topics of long-tail marketing, automated evaluations, and the extortion of members money.  Please weigh in on all these topics by Friday and plan to attend the web meeting on Monday at 10:00 a.m. est to discuss our future actions to correct this mess.”

Klogs are already in use.  In my office, we have set up a private FaceBook group to allow staff to share business information that is not appropriate to discuss in an open format.  Staff is free to share a thought, professional opinion, or idea without the fear of being blasted by some anonymous jerk.  I have also set up a Klog for a committee that I am involved with by using a standard WordPress Blog format.  The safety of a Klog will promote more people to share their real thoughts which will, in turn, create better thinking.  Many people are not as bold as those of us who are willing to share our thoughts and opinions with the entire world.  Klogs will be a safe haven for the 99% of humans not contributing to Blogs.  They will also facilitate knowledge management in small businesses that can’t afford expensive and complicated technology.

(Note:  I consider the BloodhoundBlog to be one of the most legitimate Blogs because almost all those who comment here use their name.  Without a willingness to attach your name to an opinion, you are meaningless to me.  Blogs like this are the exception to the rule and will serve as a valuable resource for as long as Greg, Brian and the many talented writers are willing to be part of the 1% of humans creating content on the Internet.)