The word was coined from two others: "web log." A blog is an online tool, something like a journal, that allows the writer to start a written conversation. They post the initial topic, usually a short text, and others can post their reactions, forming a string. Sometimes they grow into big communities.

This doesn't explain, however, why you need a blog for your business.

These days, the blog is the hottest ticket in marketing on the net. It's the cheapest advertising going, and if yours is successful, you'll immediately see why you needed a business blog in the first place. The successful online bloggers use this technique to keep in touch with their clients, and keep the contact fresh, renewing it regularly and often.

Which brings us to the main negative for why you need a blog for your business: the investment of time that you'll have to make to keep it going, keep it new and keep it interesting. It's like going out there and making friends and connections. You don't just say "Hi," and then never communicate again, do you? Networking through blogging can be one of the best methods to market your business, but it can also require huge investments of time.

If you understand why you need a blog for your business, but you just can't spare the time (usually at least an hour a day, but it varies), you can hire professionals to help you with this task. Not a bad idea, at any rate, since you'll have the benefit of a well-written blog that is perhaps more accessible and more clear than the average blogger is capable of turning out. It's possible to share blogs, too, or enter a blogging portal.

The internet search engine crawlers like blogs. The more often you update your website, the more likely they are to find it, and blogs, being frequently updated, are the perfect solution.

So now when you ask yourself why you need a blog for your business, your answer will more than likely be, why would I ever decide not to blog?