Like most everyone else, I made several New Year's resolutions I had no intention of keeping. You know, the usual suspects...eat less, exercise more, spend five minutes a day in quiet meditation, that kind of thing. I've managed to do none of the above."?I mean, I have six kids and a business to run for heaven's sake, so I wouldn't know where to begin to find"?one quiet minute, much less five.

A friend who was having some trouble keeping resolutions of his own was kind enough to send me a link to a U.S. News and World Report article on ways to improve your life in 2007. To my pleasant surprise, I found one of those"?is to start a blog. I'm not kidding.

Funny thing is, the article begins by chronicling the tail of one blogger who got fired for something he said on his blog about the company he worked for. Not exactly what you'd call a great incentive to start blogging.

Later in the article, however, mention is made that people have gotten book deals thanks to blogging. Paul Chaney and I can testify to the fact that blogging had something to do with our being chosen to write Realty Blogging.

From a business standpoint, blogging can be a way to market yourself or your company alongside normal channels. In the latest National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, based on a survey of 7,500 home buyers and sellers, 80 percent of home buyers used the Internet in searching for a home, up from 77 percent in the 2005 survey and 74 percent in 2004. So, while online marketing is still somewhat in its infancy in the real estate industry, the shift toward it is seismic and blogging is one path some are choosing. (See the Inman article)

There are many reasons why. It's useful for relationship building, establishing your expertise, differentiating yourself from the competition, and generating leads. So, if for no other reason than U.S. News & World Report recommends it, why don't you give real estate blogging a try in 2007.