Just what is a blog, exactly?

Both Dave Sabol and Jeff De Cagna disagreed (strongly!) with my definition of blogs as "a format for information," so I'd like to clarify what I mean by that.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm typically annoyed by instances where authors or speakers try to equate business with warfare. That said, I've always tried to give communications advice and counsel by keeping in mind a proverb that I have seen attributed to the U.S. Navy SEALs: "Targets dictate weapons. Weapons dictate movement."

What I'm trying to say is, if you value a conversation, and exchange of ideas, then a blog is (often) a good choice for a format -- the "weapon" in this metaphor.

When the topic of discussion among the association leadership or board of directors trends toward "we need a website" or "we need a four-color glossy magazine," I try to steer the discussion back to the "target" -- who's the audience? What's the outcome? Don't pick the weapon first -- pick the target, then we'll pick the weapon, then we'll decide how to move.

Even though it hasn't been invented yet, there will one day come along another new format other than the blog for promoting conversation and discussion. But the important thing is not the format, it's the discussion that takes place within that format -- the information.

Tagged: Associations, Blogging.