Over the almost 30 years I’ve been in business, the communication landscape has changed incredibly. However, if you’re an executive who is isolated, as I was for a long time, you could easily miss it. But I think all these changes explain why business blogs are becoming popular, and why they will be everywhere in the not too distant future. Are you seeing the same changes?

Filters vs. no filters. In the old days, power was defined by how many screens you had in front of you — a switchboard operator, a personal secretary, a Vice President of Nobody Knows What He Does. Today, leaders speak directly to the market through blogs, at shareholder phone conferences, on national radio and TV. Power is defined by transparency. The CEO (misnomer) Blog List I follow has 272 listings as of February 1 2008.

Dressy vs. casual. I came up the ranks toward the tail end of the You Can Judge a Man by His Shoes Era (which actually still works!). The first time I took off my sports coat during a sales call, I felt naked. We all know how this has changed. Informal dress is a reflection of less formal communication, which is a reflection of less hierarchical structure.

Hierarchy vs. collaboration. A much written about topic that deserves all the attention it gets. For a great read, try Larry Weber’s Marketing to the Social Web. He persuasively describes how a business should be organized in the age of the internet. My guess is most companies have a ways to go. In the old days, rank trumped expertise. Today, it’s the other way around.

Guarded speech vs. wide open. In the old days, the mantra was, “better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” Today, business people put it all out there — questions, doubts, problems, shortcomings, personal opinions. Where do you stand — does exposing the warts lower your opinion of business people, or raise it?

Wowed by presentations vs. wowed by conversations. There was a time when fancy PowerPoints and other slick presentations would be enough to close a deal. Do you think that’s the case today? Cliff Atkinson makes a persuasive case in Beyond Bullet Points, but I’m not sure. How averse to polished presentation has the market become?

Having all the right answers vs. having all the right questions. Expertise remains highly valued, of course. But, once upon a time, admitting ignorance or uncertainty was a sign of weakness. Joanna Young was telling me the other day that the art of blogging is the art of asking great questions. She is very good at it, and of course folks like Liz Strauss and Dawud Miracle prove the point for sure. The change extends beyond blogging. While asking questions has always been a business virtue, great question askers are more esteemed today than ever.

Business separate from life vs. business a part of life. Today cause marketing is the real deal. Companies are going green and at least some of them are making it easier for employees to work and still have a life. Technology has enabled people to work from the office, home, Starbucks, or pretty much anywhere. Cracking the whip, herding up everyone in the office for 60-hour weeks, is or should be a thing of the past.

Big office vs. no office. A related point, power used to be measured by the size and location of one’s office. Today I’m beginning to think power is measured by the absence of an office.

Informality, questions and conversation, collaboration, flat corporate structures, openness, blending social and business concern. This is blog territory. There’s no reason to think these values will change direction in the foreseeable future, which is why the use of business blogs will expand. Do you see it too, or am I looking at the world through blog-colored glasses?