6 Reasons to be Blogging, plus a few new technologies/trends you should know about (Weekly Round-Up Vol. 77)

Posted by Angus Russell

6 Reasons Every Small Business Should Be Blogging… Are You Missing the Boat? – Hubspot
I am amazed at the blog-reluctance of many small businesses. I hear things like “I don’t have time to blog”, “blogging doesn’t make sense in my industry”, and sometimes even the dreaded “what the heck is a blog?”The reality is if your company provides unique products or services, you should be blogging. (And if your company doesn’t, you should probably consider a career change.)

Of course, the overall return on investment on a blog will vary from business to business. But there are 6 fundamental benefits to corporate blogging that should not be overlooked. Read More…

Introducing Deals – Facebook
Everyone likes getting a good deal, but it’s not always easy to find the right one at the moment you could use one. Imagine that while you’re looking for a new place to try for lunch, you could see offers from restaurants nearby on your phone. On the other hand, I already love Zachary’s Pizza, so imagine if I were rewarded for coming back there every week with my friends. Read More…

Blekko “The Slashtag” Search Engine Goes Live – Search Engine Land
Blekko, the long anticipated search engine founded by Rich Skrenta, has finally opened to the public. The service offers an interesting way to “slash” or create specialty search engines for any topic, along with new features the company hopes will improve relevancy. Read More…

Google Place Search Gets a Promotion – CNET
Google will take another swing at the Yellow Pages today, integrating local business listings directly into search results.

The company is set to launch Google Place Search as a standalone search option, much the same way Google users can search for images, news, or products. It will bring the Google Places listings that business owners can claim into the main search results pages, rather than confining them to searches done within Google Maps as was the case prior to today. Read more…

Internet Advertising Hits New Revenue Record – Mashable
Online advertising is thriving in the U.S., according to figures released in the latest IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report.

Businesses and individuals spent approximately $12.1 billion on online advertising in the first six months of 2010, up 11.3% from the from the first half of 2009 and 13.9% from the second quarter of 2009. In fact, this was both the highest first-half and second-quarter revenue ever recorded. Read More…