Blogs, Podcasts and Wikis

To the uninitiated, blogs, podcasts and wikis may not sound like topics suitable for boardroom discussions, yet that’s just what these new media forms are becoming as they start to shake things up in the business world.

Think of it as Business 2.0, where media with online roots are augmenting traditional forms of communication and challenging long-held notions about how to connect with customers and generate new business.

“The way that people communicate has changed,” says Sally Falkow, president of Expansion Plus, an Internet marketing and public relations agency. Consumers don’t want to be spoon-fed obvious messages through traditional advertising and marketing; instead, they’re seeking information from homegrown media. “Consumers don’t want to be spoken at any more,” she says.

If you want to stay on top of trends in communication and technology, a primer on blogs, podcasts and wikis is in order. Here’s what you need to know about how they’re relevant in business and how you can get started.

Blogs

A web log, or blog for short, is a frequently updated, journal-like Web site, often created and maintained by just one person. Blogs contain dated entries, with the most recent ones appearing at the top. The form is malleable; some bloggers post brief entries with plenty of links elsewhere, while others write lengthy, thoughtful items. Some blogs are outlandishly personal, while others focus on industry news or opinions.

If you’re wondering whether blogs have any traction in the corporate world, visit Business Blog Consulting, a spot about blogs in business, or TheNewPR, which lists links to more than 270 C-level executive bloggers.

Blogging can even give your career a boost. Headhunters sought one of Falkow’s clients after seeing his blog. But beware. “Be very careful about the rules and the culture of your own company,” says Falkow, who has her own blog. “You really have to find out if it’s OK to blog."

Get Started: Blogger, TypePad and WordPress all offer popular, easy-to-use methods for starting a blog.

Podcasts

A podcast is form of audio or video programming that automatically downloads to your computer, iPod or other MP3 player when you subscribe to it. Much like blogs let you post your writings for the world to read, podcasts let you produce and share your own audio or video content for a worldwide audience.

By learning how to produce professional-sounding podcasts, you may be able to create new career opportunities. “If you have those skills, you’re going to be creating brand-new advertising or sponsorship streams that don’t exist,” says John C. Havens, About.com’s guide to podcasting and founder of the Podcast Vision and Voice consulting and production firm. “You can very quickly drive lead generation, promote sales, build community, create revenue and build traffic where none exists.”

Get Started: About.com offers tips for getting started with podcasting.

Wikis

A wiki -- Hawaiian for “fast” -- is a collaboratively written and edited Web site. Wikis are proliferating, because they are easy to create and update. Once a wiki is posted, anyone with basic Web skills should be able to master the tools to add and edit content. Some wikis allow anyone to contribute -- the online encyclopedia Wikipedia is probably the most well-known example. Other wikis have controls that limit who can post and make changes. Wikis are being used as reference guides, product manuals and information-sharing tools.

“I can tell you from the front lines that wikis work,” says Ramit Sethi, cofounder and vice president of marketing for PBwiki. “We host thousands of business wikis, and each wiki can have many users working on it. Businesses are using a wiki as an easy way to get a Web page up -- whether it's private or public -- and share information.”

Job seekers might even want to create a wiki, Sethi suggests. “If you're looking for an easy way to create a Web page, list your resume and get references from old coworkers, you could use a wiki,” he says. “Instead of sending lots of emails and pasting everything into one document, you can invite everyone to add their information directly to the wiki.”

Get Started: Aside from PBwiki, other popular wiki programs include the Google-owned JotSpot and TiddlyWiki.