What is a blog?

Robert Scoble was the ex-Microsofter who blogged and made the company smell like roses after it smelt of... well, smelt of something different. He's getting his wrist slapped, though, by Shel Israel, co-author of Naked Conversations (the marketing communications new media bible for me - you can look inside)  for attempting to define blogs as, grosso modo, only being public, open, syndicated, commentable spaces.

My good colleague Nova pointed me in the direction of this post which summarises nicely why Robert's view, while admirable in its share-what-you-can intentions, I'm sure, might be a little too narrow.

It's quite pertinent, too, for LTS and Exc-el, the East Lothian 'web service' which I am hoping will soon provide a way for people to easier consume the huge amounts of content students and teachers in the LA will produce this year. I am striving with colleagues to provide guidance to staff on how they can blog without unnecessarily rocking the boat (i.e. till it sinks). But to do this we do have to work out what a blog is in the first place. All too often staff think it's a personal outpouring of opinion, a bit like a weepy teenager's diary. "Who would be interested in what I do in my life?" they plead. Well, probably very few people. But blogs as a collaborative ideas sharing tool are essential for an organisation which is, after all, in the Knowledge Industry.

The aforementioned summarising post will certainly provide a good place for people to start considering the question of what a blog actually could do for their team.