Meet the B-Blog [ClickZ] Excellent piece on ClickZ today - the thinking on blogs for business is gaining momentum. J:L

The B-Blogs Are Coming

Here's what I see happening, folks. A few savvy businesses have caught on to the fact blogs essentially present an opportunity to build communities where like-minded people gather to establish interactive dialogues on issues of their choice. And in the business world, large communities gather. "Business-blogs," or "b-blogs" (a term I coined here and now), are perfect for the corporate world.

Enormous Marketing Potential

B-blogs are highly strategic, here-to-stay desktop tools that can strengthen relationships, share knowledge, increase collaboration, and improve branding. <more>

blogs4business.com

News Future: Getting Beyond the Banner (and Beyond the Banner in Disguise)

An interesting discussion on different online ad formats, arguing that all online advertising that doesn't meet user needs, will eventually fail. That includes skyscrappers, interstials, pop-ups etc.

So if advertiser products and services are instrumental in satisfying user goals, then advertiser goals can be satisfied at the same time. I agree that there will always be clients willing to pay for what is now traditional online advertising, but I’m suggesting that banners in disguise, no matter how much bigger or better they are, won’t collect the lion’s share of Internet advertising spending in the future. The industry will be dominated by successful advertisers who have figured out how to satisfy their goals by satisfying their users’ goals.