Weblogs, or Blogs as they are often referred to, have long been the domain of political and social commentators on the Internet. And their potential for any other purpose has been overlooked for several years.

Maybe this happened because Blogs emerged at the very end of 1999, when the dot com bubble was about to burst. Or maybe it was because the very nature of a Weblog as it was born – a dynamic, freewheeling publishing forum filled with links and references and errata and corrections – was a vehicle difficult to view as “serious.”

But Blogs have gotten increasing respect in the past six months, confirmed by Google’s acquisition of the number one Blogging ASP in the world, blogger.com. And now many businesses are wondering if there is a way they can take advantage or their benefits -- and mitigate their downside -- to make Blogs a tool for relationship building and information sharing.

Don’t feel uncomfortable if you still don’t understand what a Blog is. Like so many Internet buzzwords of the past (remember Portal and the Information Superhighway), Blogs defy easy explanation. In one sense, a Blog is just a simple publishing forum that presents items – usually text and links -- in reverse chronological order. In practice, a Blog will often include comments and responses from readers, as do Web bulletin boards. Often, they can also be searched and cataloged.

But you can’t define a Blog without talking attitude. The best-known Blogs have lots of attitude. They are like talk radio on the Web, written by people with lots of opinions who are likely to generate readers and reactions. Good blogging knows no middle ground, only extremes. Two good examples in the Crossfire: On the left, Eric Alterman’s “altercation” blog http://www.msnbc.com/news/752664.asp ; on the right, Andrew Sullivan’s blog at http://www.andrewsullivan.com .

So if Blogs are as much about attitude as function or content, where do they fit in business communications? Attitude is simply point of view with an edge. If business Blogs have a clear focus and point of view, they can succeed without risking alienation by employing too much edge.

More important, a good business Blog needs to have a focused, narrow purpose and an author who is an expert in that niche. It also needs some other attributes, namely authority, credibility, timeliness. If it comes off reading like it was written by corporate communications, it is bound to fail.

Imagine a Blog produced for an environmental engineering company. If it’s just a place to issue press releases about the company’s products or services, it’s not a Blog. But if the author uses it to keep customers current on the latest practices in the industry, answers technical questions, posts interesting links to other Web sites, etc., the Blog could become a daily read for many existing and prospective customers, and establish the company as a trusted thought leader.

The potential of Blogs may be even greater for businesses in access-controlled areas – such as in Intranets and Extranets. Blogs can become always-accessible compendia for project management and knowledge sharing. They can also be used to share information in the marketing channel – between the home office and distributors, retailers or resellers – who would benefit from easy access to information.

So don’t ignore the potential of Blogs in your business. Just leave some of the attitude at the door.