I’m surprised how many bloggers and non-bloggers alike don’t know about this article, or have but haven’t read it. I’m an avid reader of Business Week Online - and they put the handwriting on the wall for the world to see.

The message? Like it or not, blogs are going to affect the way you do business. So join the fray…

The article starts out with sympathy for the fact that we’ve all been bombarded with the message about blogging, but then shoots straight from the hip with a little reality check:

I could go into a whole series about why you should be blogging - and how, and with what - and I will.

But your best bet today, whether you think your business needs a blog or not, is to go read the article, print it out and stick it on your wall. Blogs are here to stay - but we’re early enough in the trend for you to make your mark as an innovator, and make your competitors the me-too guys when blogging reaches its true mainstream reach.

The main concern I hear about blogging is how long it takes. And yes, if you’re working with clunky software, or one of the up-again, down-again free resources, that’s a valid concern.

I am forced to work with all types of blog software systems, so I’ve literally seen and used them all.

For this post It took me about ten minutes to type up this post and reference the article.

This is my fourth post to a blog I own or participate in today. For what is now a total of an hour of work, the promotion of my projects and the good karma I get for sharing informaton is worth its weight  in e-gold. Not only does it show that I know my stuff as a consultant, (and elsewhere as an author and business owner), blogging helps me network, and gives my audience the chance to test my knowledge about products and services I provide or reccommend.

Read the article. And really think about what is quicky becoming the question at hand - can you afford not to blog?