The communications tool that can eat you alive ... if you let it

After two weeks and a couple of days, I'm ending my self-imposed exile from the blog world with this post.

Why did I step away from writing, reading and commenting on blogs?

First, I wanted to see if I could.

And if I WAS able to abstain, I was curious how my life would be different.

What did I learn? Well, for starters, I had a lot more time for real work. You know, Wagner Communications. The company behind the blog.

The key for me was a conversation I had with a new client. He asked, "Should we start to blog to market ourselves?"

At first, I was hesitant. But he persisted. "It would improve our search engine results," he said. "Showcase our expertise. Provide tips and information to clients. Right?"

"Right," I said. And then it hit me.

"Just make sure your focus is on building your business ... don't get caught up in building your blog," I said. "There's a difference."

The truth is, we can talk all we want about how blogs are just a tool. We can even believe it deep down.

But like no other tool, a blog can eat you alive if you let it.