Small Business Blogs

Find out what other businesses are doing with this powerful tool
By Shara Karasic, Work.com Community Manager, Community Manager Work.com It seems like every day there are new blogs from business owners, people who serve small business and those who monitor small business trends. Blogs are often written by people who have "been-there and done-that", and it's good to know what's being talked about in the small business blogosphere. But how do you figure out which ones are worth your time to read? While you can't keep up with them all, there are easy ways to browse the best ones. By browsing small business blogs, you can:

1. Stay up-to-date with the latest business trends, opportunities and news.
2. Get timely advice from business coaches, marketing gurus and accounting experts.
3. Keep an eye on the competition and get ideas for your own business or blog.
   

Get an overview of the latest trends, opportunities and tips

Start at high profile business blogs that have a lot of traffic and are consistently updated by well-known bloggers.
Try:  Small Business Trends includes coverage of technology that affects the small business market. Get marketing tips from the Duct Tape Marketing blog or BIG Marketing for Small Business, and find out about business networking online at Virtual Handshake. Two up-and-coming entrepreneurs share their personal experiences at Slate's BizBox. Others worth a look include Business Opportunities Weblog and The Entrepreneurial Mind. 

Discover the best blogs from actual small businesses

Gain a unique perspective into the lives of people starting and running all kinds of small businesses through their blogs.
Try:  USA Today's Small Business Connection blog often features small business blogs. Other interesting reads include Aldo Coffee, The Bloomery Florist, Sharma Jewelry Designs and Kendrick's Billiards.

Find other small business blogs on blog directories

To find a coffee shop blog, for example, type in "coffee shop". You can also subscribe to keyword search feeds to find the latest blogs in your area of interest. Search on your own company name to see if it's being mentioned in the blogosphere.
Try:  Try Technorati's business directory, or simply search for a business type or topic you're interested in Technorati.

Use RSS readers to get summaries of updates to your favorite small business blogs

RSS or RSS feed refers to a way for sites to syndicate their content, and allows you to read the highlights of all the blogs you like to read in one place.
Try:  You can subscribe to a blog's RSS feed from the blog itself. You'll get a special URL and then you'll need to view it in an RSS reader or aggregator, such as Bloglines.

• If you've found a good blog, a way to find more quality blogs on a similar topic is to look at the blog's sidebar to see what other blogs the author has recommended.
• Commenting on an interesting blog post is a way to voice your opinion or add some useful information, but it can also let more people know about your URL or expertise.
• Some top blogs that don't deal specifically with small business, but cover topics such as technology, may also be useful for you to track.