I'm currently on a bit of a campaign to encourage people in home based business to get into blogging.

Blogging is great for this, in terms of the pre-arranged technology (free or low cost), the ability to blog about whatever you are interested in, and the extraordinary diversity of blogs, bloggers and blogging communities.

I was introduced to blogging early last year at a coaching conference in the US by coach and project manager, Hal Macomber, and subsequently did a course with him on blogging. To be honest, I had thought until then that blogging was mainly the preserve of young teenage girls. I understand they are still out there and active in the blogosphere, but the range of people and companies blogging now is much more diverse than that and quite amazing.

My thoughts back when I did Hal's course were that this would be a good way to build awareness online of my 3 Circle Success coaching system, as part of a broader marketing approach.

There were quite a lot of coaches who started blogs back then and Hal even started a blog webring, but I think only a few of that original group are still blogging, although lately I've seen quite a few other coaches blogging.

Anyway, since that time in early 2003 I have started and then dropped several blogs, which was partly a process of finding what I wanted to write about and partly about checking out the different technology platforms (and partly lack of organisation!).

Having recently got back into fairly regular blogging, I have to say for me it's fun. Mind you, I would be loathe to recommend it to anyone who is not interested in writing or sharing.

I still see blogging as good for business, although I am not so focused now on blogging in the context of or in direct connection with my coaching activities.

One of the reasons I am keen to promote blogging for people in home based business is that - as well as not adding any strain to the budget - it can be a good way for home based business people to avoid the intellectual narrowing of focus that can happen when you move from operating daily in a physically larger business and social space to operating from your own home office (some home based business people would say, an office? I should be so lucky!).

I'm all in favour of 'getting out more' and having face to face get-togethers (I did not say meetings!). At the same time, I know that the blogosphere provides me with far more opportunities and challenges for intellectual stimulation than I would get if I just relied on the occasional coffee or lunch with friends and colleagues.

The upcoming Blog Business Summit in Seattle (January 05) will surely help accelerate the uptake of blogging for business.