CDAA 2010 conference. Are blogs relevant for CD practitioners?

So what is blogging anyway, and how can we use it, can it help us, or is it another time waster?

Is there a place for this medium as well as the more formal one on one Mentoring which is available in Victoria and networks like LinkedIn?

Is there some value in it for us as a group, or is it more an individual thing? Could it be used to informally network, support, inspire, cajole, challenge and link us in our desires to grow our businesses?

Kind of a bit like facebook; more informal than formal & by us and for us as professional individuals? How would that work? Could it be used to share business growth tips and encouragement. We often feel very isolated, could it be used to break down the isolation?

Is there a better medium available? If so, what? Is this too public? Does that matter?

Could it be used so colleagues could explore how to post comments in a safe and non threatening arena?

Someone might "confess" to feeling completely at sea with current media, and receive some feedback on how to access it. Of course, that could be difficult if they are too wary about publishing a post. Could be a double bind there :P

Perhaps a colleague might post that they are about to send emails or letters introducing themselves and their services to (insert name of company here) and they are feeling nervous, then someone else could post encouraging comments. or suggestions on how to make the content fabulous. Then a few days/weeks later, another member might ask how it panned out.

Do we already have something like this that I've missed? If so, is it used, or are people intimidated for some reason?

I'm visualizing something authentic, not "learned" necessarily - though there could be a place for that too. Something where people could post just a 1/2 line or so, and not feel compelled to be perfectly grammatical or formal or "on show". Where we don't feel judged for not being perfect.

So much to learn! I can see that it's possible to set up a group blog, would that work? Is it too much effort? We seem to be so time poor, and many of us are good at talking to clients about work/life balance, but seem to lack the skills to take our own "advice". Does it have the privacy we desire?