Welcome to the “2.0 times”. It is an interesting period: now everyone has a point to argue and enough ways to voice opinions. There is freedom of speech in its absolute avatar—the impact of which can be assessed by the fact that even the Prime Minister’s Office is engaging with the average Indian on Twitter. Social Networking and the power to express has given a boost to voices which needed to be heard, also transforming the way businesses operated and engaged with their customers. It has become an interesting enabler for a common citizen, who can leverage tools and technology for self-branding and positioning today. One of the best ways to selfbrand and “position” oneself is undoubtedly through blogs–a popular tool that has found global acceptance. Especially in the past half-a-decade or so, millions across the globe have found blogging the best way to not only express themselves, but also put forth views in a manner that creates a powerful positioning for them in networks. A blog in its simplest essence is a digital publishing platform. Imagine, setting up your own newspaper in a matter of minutes. Imagine that based upon that content you’ve shared, interested people start subscribing to you—immediately. With blogging, the world’s your slate. Enabling the digital publishing ecosystem, blogging platforms such as Wordpress, Tumblr, Blogger, Posterous, Movable Type, LiveJournal, etc. have made it easy for people to start publishing online. All one needs to do for a self-hosted blog is to buy a “domain name” with space, install Wordpress (my personal favourite though one can use other platforms too) and Viola! you are ready. However, the Step 1 to it all is to decide how you want your readers to connect to you. So is your blog a professional one or a personal one? Once you define that you define how the audience perceives you. Is blogging all about satiating the need to speak out? Not in its entirety. There are eminently blogs in the industry today that have gained prominence for their exclusive content. These are not just platforms, they have evolved as power houses of content, establishing thought leadership in their domains. Take Mashable.com as a case. Mashable Inc. is an internet news blog founded by Pete Cashmore. It primarily focuses on every action happening in the world of social media globally. At the same time it covers interesting developments in mobile and entertainment space. Today, Mashable commands reportedly a 50-plus million page views monthly. With a punch-line that states it to be the Social Media Guide, Mashable has proven that great content published at the right time, commands a steady stream of audience and generates deep engagement. Though it is expected that established blogs (say a Harvard Business Review or Huffington Post) would be popular enough, in the truly democratic space of blogging, it is interesting to note that several unnamed individuals have become no-less-than-celebrities online thanks to blogging. Businesses globally have realised the power of blogging. Today, businesses large and small, are leveraging blogging as a strategic outreach and positioning methodology. Many of them use blogging as a positioning mechanism to define thought leadership. There are large companies, which have their CEO’s blogging, giving a face to the “asset” called business, which further engages the target audience. The one critical advantage which blogs provide is a continuous creation of content which is what search engines pick. It goes a long way in increasing visibility across search engines. Most people today are on the move always. So most of them consume content through RSS feeds, a fantastic way to keep audiences engaged. Subscriptions to blog feeds are one of the several counts of content popularity and success. However, just like any other process there are ABC of a blog. Answering these questions before you kick-start your blogging journey or revamp your existing one. Are you ready to invest on a blog? Blogging is free essentially, but you obviously need to invest into great human resources who could generate great content for you. Is your priority selling or marketing? If it is only selling then it is not a great reason to start a blog. Stop pushing your cause and start engaging—it would automatically yield results. Are you ready to take feedback from customers and build relationships? Are you ready to take comments on your blogs while moderating only spam and junk and reply back? Is your business ready to face critiques and fans alike? So much for blogging. How does one create a bigger game and energise a community? Blogging as a tool has enabled platforms to promote creation of user-generated content. Platforms today enjoy content from various users who passionately discuss issues and topics that holds relevance to them, and to the society at large. There are interesting examples of Industry associations that have created amazing platforms which have energised communities to come together and create opportunities. A case in point: Entrepreneurs-Ship, part of TiE Social, an initiative by the Delhi chapter of TiE. The platform was created to facilitate conversations and business among members. Today, the community literally drives it. Members contribute blogs posts and other quality content from across the world—and everyone learns. Taking the cue, I strongly believe, many businesses can create focused communities around their play. The communities don’t necessarily have to be thousands of people, it can be as small and focused as a 100-member community, but be highly value-driven. Why not write a post today taking cues from this article?