Why blog?

Some of us still may not be absolutely sure what it is, but the term "blog" has become a permanent part of our vocabulary. Its power as marketing tool is indisputable. Blogs are websites, maintained by individuals, groups and businesses. They read like diaries with entries, comments, and event descriptions posted in reverse-chronological order. There were 22.6 million U.S. bloggers and 94.1 million blog readers in 2007 as compiled by eMarketer sourced in "State of the Blogosphere 2008," by Technorati, a popular blog search engine. So why should this matter to you? A growing number of bloggers are real estate executives. Their readers find them through search engines, websites, hyperlinks, even promotional e-mails from the bloggers themselves. Donald Trump writes the "The Trump Blog." There is "Barbara Corcoran Ink." N.Y. appraiser Sam Heskel shares his thoughts on a variety of subjects in his HMS Associates blog. You do not have to be famous or experienced. But you must be willing to write interesting and timely content, link to sources, post comments and maintain your blog regularly. For starters, click on a free template like Blogger.com or WordPress.com. You will be blogging in no time. Harry Zlokower is president of Zlokower Co., New York, N.Y.