This article in the Industry Standard reminds me of a public agency I once worked for that only recently introduced the whole world of blogging to its employees. And this is an agency full of knowledge workers who deal specifically with information dissemination.

I agree with the interviewees that without engaging actively in communication with one’s audience (whether we’re referring to job seekers or one’s political constituents), an organization can become seriously left behind in the global competition for knowledge and talent, not to mention innovation. If an agency doesn’t even have a decent Web site with a modern design, much less a blog, I’m more inclined to think of it as a dinosaur that doesn’t have the best interests of its audience at heart. In addition I’ll wonder about its effectiveness.

That goes for companies as well. Sure, there may be some local businesses that may not necessarily need a blog or Web site, but for a large number of industries, not having one is the equivalent of being completely invisible to one’s potential customer base, especially if you’re looking at the X and Y Generations who constitute nearly half the population. We crack open the phone book maybe twice a year, if that often. Get on the Web, or get left behind.