Blogging or the idea of providing commentary on a particular subject is not a new concept on the web, in fact – that’s how the internet started. What has changed is that tools now exist that enable anyone with an internet connection to start a blog within a matter of minutes. Over the last few years corporate blogs have become more popular, popping up everywhere. So you have the tools but does it make sense to start and maintain a corporate blog?

You've probably heard about how email marketing is an effective marketing channel. It’s low cost with a high return on investment ($57.5 for every dollar spent, according to the Direct Marketing Association). In addition to being a valuable relationship tool for both retention and acquisition, email also provides real-time measurable results. And email is a great vehicle for driving traffic to any web site. It’s all about being front of mind. If you’re not sending emails to your customers or members, someone else is.

This last Saturday I attended Bar Camp3. For those of you who haven’t heard of Bar Camp it is an international network of unconferences where the content is created by participants. The one day event, hosted at Carleton University, consisted of sessions on topics ranging from usability to Ruby on Rails.  

This was my first Bar Camp but based on my experience Saturday – it won’t be my last. The set up was excellent and I really enjoy the open format. Every room was filled and the speakers were excellent. It was also a great opportunity to meet people who are doing new an innovating things in web application, open source technologies, communities and social protocols.

Definitely a must attend next time it comes together.