Are we Google Lab Rats? Adding a Blog to your SEM "to-do" list could benefit your business. Everyone wants to be number one in the universal search results (or at least in the top ten).  According to Clif Boulton of PC Magazine, "Blogs are the latest genre for Google's Universal Search....".  Google continues to appeal to the Web audience, (us) in an attempt to improve the multimedia experience.  One has to wonder, are we (the readers)  lab rats in the midst of hundreds of engineers working for Google?  These engineers, whom  are conducting (according to Marissa Mayer)  "...interesting experiments in terms of the interface and what could happen in terms of Universal Search" could be changing the way we interact online.  I think that we can be interactive lab rats and make a positive impact should we choose to Blog and tell others about our experiences. Will it really"...thrust the view of New Media journalists into the forefront of the average web surfer..."? If this is the case, that we can thrust ourselves (through this medium) then don't we (as business owners and operators) owe it to ourselves  to consider Blogging? Although Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins states that "Blog results have long been a part of the general search results...",  I feel that this is an opportunity for business's to gain a new audience for their products, or services.  In addition, business owners, might gain valuable insights into what their audience is looking for in terms of their services or products.  What business does not want to be in the lime light of Goggles returns. I for one am going to take advantage of my lab rat status and use this medium to increase my viewing audience. Are Your Missing Out Because Your Not Blogging?    Jody Nimetz discussed some of the reasons why people Blog in his post on December 3, 2007  Here is his list: "... You can blog to share your thoughts about a specific topic such as a product you're interested in, an experience you ad. Frankly you can blog about pretty much anything you like. You can blog to communicate your satisfaction or frustration with a product or company You can blog to drive traffic to your other web properties. You can blog to earn money. From an SEO standpoint, you can blog to obtain links from other sites and blogs. You can blog to add content to your site. Remember how students would pass notes in school or how people would write letters to the editor of a newspaper or magazine? Well blogging is the equivalent to this in the new online world that has taken shape over the past decade. From a business point of view, you can blog for a variety of other reasons some of which include: To interact with your clients and customers. To build your authority on a topic of interest. To communicate the upcoming launch of a new product. To build brand awareness. To address reputation management issues. To build trust with others. Blogging can help humanize you and your business. To provide a feedback mechanism via comments where users can address your point of view with one of their own. To generate a viral buzz about your product, your company or your industry...". Read Jody Nimetz full post here.  The bottom line is this, whether you choose to Blog or not, is up to you. I enjoy reading Blogs and posting comments to them.  It is an interesting way to stay in touch with professionals in my field and topics of personal interest.  The reasons you choose to Blog may not be listed above as this is not an all inclusive list.  Please send us your comments about Blogging.