Social media is an amazing pool of information, the currents that run through it intriguing and the threads of individual discussions and conversations fascinating.

In the last few days, I have read two good blog posts supporting both sides of the question I posed in the title. Opinions 180 degrees away from each other, but both with merit.

In the first, the argument that the day of the successful business blog is over was well set out, in the second, a compelling case for why it is still a very good marketing tool was made. The author proposed that other social media channels and forms of both on and offline marketing offered better ways to publish information.

Where do I stand on the issue? Firmly and unashamedly on the fence, right between the two opposing views. I am there deliberately, not from any sense of prevarication.

The days of the sloppily created and infrequently updated blog that adds nothing to the readers level of interest, education or entertainment are certainly over, if there ever was a case for them at all.

A well prepared blog with consistent new content that provides a valuable experience to visitors is still, for many businesses an excellent medium for providing information to visitors, generating leads and converting them to supporters,customers and ideally evangelists for the brand or business.

One of the problems with business blogs is that they become stale, they lose their sparkle over time. The people who were responsible for starting them move on to new, more exciting projects or new jobs. The blog becomes just another page on the business website. Creating new content slips down the list of priorities and gets delegated to less devoted people.

But for the businesses that do get it right, time spent creating and publishing good, new content for business blog can be a very rewarding investment. Frequently more effective than the same amount of time spent chasing likes or follows on Facebook or twitter.

If you need help creating a new business blog or putting the sparkle back into an existing one, call me at 1-866-250-4504