Most people have heard the term blog, but what is a blog??
What is a blog? A blog (also called a weblog or web log shortened to blog) is a website consisting of entries (also called posts) appearing in reverse published date order with the most recent entry appearing first (similar in format to a daily journal). It is a place to express yourself to the world. A place to share your thoughts and your passions. Blogs typically include features such as comments and links to encourage user interactivity. Blogs are produced using specific publishing software.
There was a time when the Internet was just an informational tool. In the initial life of the World Wide Web some 20 years ago, websites were basic and provided in the main a one way conversation. As time passed, the Internet became more interactive with the introduction of transaction-based websites and online shopping, but the online world remained one-sided.
That all changed with the evolution of Web 2.0 (the social web) wherein user-generated content became an integral part of the online world. Today, users expect websites to provide a two-way conversation and web logs (or blogs) were born.
Generally speaking blogs tend to have a few features in common:
A main content area with articles listed in date order, newest on top.
An archive in which are filed older articles and a system of tags and categories to help search both current and archived content.
A way for people to leave comments about the articles.
A list of links to other correlated sites.
One or more “feeds” like RSS, Atom or RDF files.
So you may be asking why anyone would want to have their own blog. We believe the answer lies in the fact that everyone has a voice and wishes their voice to be heard. The Internet is a medium that is unequalled in its reach. Never before have average people like you or me been able to reach a global audience with so little trouble. Bloggers have the chance of reaching hundreds or even thousands of people each and every day.
For companies a Blog allows useful information to be published that will engage with prospective clients. It may not (in fact it is quite often best if this is the case) be about that companies particular products, but more about answering questions that are often asked in their marketplace.
It seems unavoidable that blogging will become even more influential in the future with more people and businesses realising the power of bloggers as online influencers. Anyone can start a blog thanks to the simple (and often free) tools readily available online such as WordPress or Blogger (Googles own blogging platform).
There is also benefits to be had from SEO, if your blog is on your website and then linked to from another site it will provide juice to your search engine rankings. In addition to this regular blogging tells Google that your site is current and this is also a good reason to have a blog. So if you ever get asked “what is a blog” you now know…..
