According to the longevity charts more than half my life is over.  And during those earlier 50+ years I’ve had some scary rides. Some in amusement parks (Fahrenheit, Hersheypark, PA  Space Mountain, Disney World,  FL Insanity, Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, NV, Kinda Ka, Great Adventure, NJ).  Some in life (9/11) and most in business.

The nightmares of my business life included programming in FORTRAN (oh no!), 286 computers (that was special) and Al Gore’s invention, which morphed from the informational super highway, WWW, W3, the web and most commonly the internet. In all of those renditions, I am someone who knows enough to be dangerous and somewhat confident,  but yet, I find myself in line to take a ride on “The Blogosphere.”

Here I am, terrified and tentative, moving ever so slowly  forward toward the front of the line. All the while being cajoled, ridiculed and badgered by my business partner who not only has done it before, but who loves always sitting in the first car and  never holding on.  So I’ll “man up.” But not first without doing some research.

Supposedly at first the term was a joke. Then, as often happens, pundits glommed onto it,  and it became part of our culture. This is hauntingly familiar to a horror movie made in 1958 starring Steve McQueen and filmed in Phoenixville, PA. “The Blob” was an alien that terrorized a small community, consuming people it met, and eventually becoming an enormous mass. Is the similarity giving you goosebumps too?

It should. According to The Nielsen Company internet users spend three times more minutes on blogs and social media (another scary ride) than on email. As of last October, there were over 152 million blogs. “The mass is growing and there’s nothing we can do.”  Last year, over 65% of all internet users read blogs. OMG, you’re reading one now. “What are we going to do?”

Just like Steve Andrews and the rest of the townspeople did, we can harness the power. And why wouldn’t we? Currently B2B companies are generating 67%  and B2C companies are generating 88% more leads per month. This is significant exposure for your business.

This ride isn’t going to be over anytime soon and it will probably always be daunting. But don’t worry, we’ll be sitting next to you the entire time.