Legal Ghostblogger

Women in Blogging; a Look into the Future

Is blogging destined to become a girl-dominated area of the web?

According to this article in the Canadian Press it could very well be the case, considering that “virtually all of the growth in teen blogging between 2004 and 2006 is due to the increased activity of girls.”  This bodes well for the future of women in technology. As the benefits of blogging become more and more apparent, there is more call for shrewd and talented blog-writers, and women seem to fit the bill. 

This is thrilling news for women, who still hold only 25.6% of computer-related occupations (according to the U.S. Department of Labor), however, I think it’s too early to be drawing conclusions just yet.  As a medium for reaching out to others, blogging is unparalleled.  A blog is an instantaneous, transcontinental, cross-cultural discussion. To claim that blogging is inherently feminine because it is a social medium, or masculine because it requires a level of technological awareness, only shortchanges both genders and the value of blogging in general. 

Now, the Canadian Press is not claiming blogging for either gender, merely pointing out the encouraging numbers of girls who have chosen to embrace it.  In fact, the author states that regardless of gender, blogging is a great way to build necessary skills such as “communication and networking . . . even things like review and critique.”

So I pose this question to you: Where do you think the future of blogging lies?  With seemingly limitless possibilities, will blogs end up being a tool of the teens or an essential part of a business marketing plan?  Will the blogosphere be dominated by men or women?  Or will it, perhaps, end up as the great equalizer?

How Social Bookmarking Can Help Your Business

I’ve spent the past 2 weeks trying to compose a blog on social bookmarking and how it can benefit business blogs, and I have found that the subject is endless!  The more I look into it the more I find. The potential for blogging to help get your business name out there has always been incredible, but now it’s even more incredible with the hugely popular social bookmarking frenzy!

The idea behind social book marking is that when you find a website that appeals to you, instead of bookmarking it on your browser you bookmark it on your one of these social bookmarking sites (Reddit, StumbleUpon, Digg, Technorati, etc).  When you do this the site automatically connects you to other users who have also bookmarked the site, giving you an instantaneous slew of new “friends”.  It also keeps track of what your interests are so that when you search for something it can bring up results based on sites you’ve previously bookmarked as favorites.  And best of all, it ranks each bookmarked site based on how many other users have listed it as one of their favorites! 

I have found that having your website on the front page of one of these social bookmarking sites is a highly coveted position.  This is because it is based not on Google or other search engine parameters such as how often the site is updated, but on actual popularity with real people.  As you might have guessed, many of the sites listed in these social bookmarking communities are blogs.

For a business owner, having your blog listed on one of these social bookmarking sites would lead to a HUGE amount of traffic. So how do you get there?  Well, first of all you have to blog, and blog regularly.  You have to know your audience, be interesting, personable but slightly controversial… You could fill a book with strategies for getting on the front page of one of these sites.  If you haven’t done it already, check out one or two of the sites.  You might be amazed at what you find.