note the interesting parts in red

What are blogs?

Blogs are a way to share facts, ideas and opinions directly between people. This blog is run by the makers of Skype and our friends, helpers and partners.

We set up the Skype blogs to present our view of the world, business and technology. Not least, making Skype is an incredible journey and the blogs are a humble attempt to document and capture it. We find making Skype both demanding and fun — it used to be so in the beginning and continues to be.

We see skype.com and the blogs to be complementary to each other. On skype.com, you can find our product and service information, as well as the official company profile, jobs info and press releases. In the blog, we hope to capture a bit more dynamics of what goes around them all. It is important for us to know what the world thinks of Skype and we hope to contribute back to the discussion with the blogs.

There are many different category areas here, which you can browse by using the links in the “Categories” section in the righthand menu.

For in-depth info about what are blogs and blogging, see the Wikipedia entry.

We use Skype extensively at What If What Next(TM). The service has really flattenened the world for us, enabling us to talk to journalists and clients around the world. They also have, as it happens, a well evolved corporate blog.

Do take a look at the Notebook section for a deconstruction of thier Blog. They are doing some cool things that are highly applicable to the business bloggers.

Howard

MEMES: noun. A meme is considered to be a discrete idea that replicates itself, with the connotation that memes replicate themselves and are propagated by people through social and technological networks, much like both real and computer viruses.

(Coined by Richard Dawkins)

Here are Memes on Blogging that we have written:

• Publishing is the art and science of moving content from the author to their reader. Getting the right content to the right person at the right time -and making a profit at it. Our concept of the Business Blog gives companies their own digital media vehicle. This is an opportunity to reduce advertising costs and gain dependable traffic by integrating editorial content, advertising and digital media. 
• Folks in the blogsphere tend to be early adopters.
• The target audience of any business blog should be the end-user and usually an individual.
• Ideas coming to you quickly look better via the Doppler effect - repetition influences buyer behaviour
• Corporate blogs linked to relevant publications will get targeted traffic.
• Corporate blogs build your reputation as a thought leader and bring visibility for your products and promotions with decision makers.
• Blogs can deliver content that is contextually relevant and sensitive to prospect needs, based on their interests and their stage in the buying cycle.
• They can be a valuable tool to shorten sales cycles and influence multiple buying centers in a target organization.
• Company blogs are a great way to answer questions you may receive from potential or actual customers.
• By putting the question and answer in your blog, you are now generating information out to potentially huge numbers of potential or actual clients.
• The Internet is an indispensable companion to print. Many magazine publishers are building up their Web presence to keep up with a generation of readers who automatically turn to the Internet instead of the printed page. Magazines are publishing with a large Internet component with original content. These investments mark a new level of commitment. A magazine can spark an idea but the Internet will provide the real vehicle for deep research, the purchase of products and the referral system to friends. You gain a broader audience and more loyalty from your subscribers if you extend the experience into the Web.
• The web created a sense of urgency, the sense of moment, is crucial.
• Event, time limited and strategically focused blogs will get attention and solve marketing and sales problems
• Traditional trade advertising is expensive. Blogs are in the news and will attract attention – in effect, your own Digital Magazine.
• Emails of blog entries to media, customers and prospect lists can attract up to a 30% hit rate (according to WIWN experience).
• Magazines and Newspapers are scrambling to add online content and blogs.

Add your own meme - click on Leave Comment and contribute your thinking!