Lessons > Introduction to Blogging

Introduction to Blogging

A blog is a frequently updated online personal journal or diary. It is a place to express yourself to the world. It’s a place where you can share your thoughts and your passions.

Blogs can be used to publish news and reviews and to discuss products and ideas. They are easy to update and an excellent way to communicate online with customers and people interested in a particular industry or topic. From the reader’s perspective, a good blog provides useful, free information and helps them to stay informed on the subject of their interest.

Blogs range from the personal to the political, and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects. Many blogs focus on a particular topic, such as web design, home staging, sports, or mobile technology. Some are more eclectic, presenting links to all types of other sites. And others are more like personal journals, presenting the author's daily life and thoughts.

Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.

Why Should Affiliates Blog?

There are many good reasons why should affiliates start a blog:

• Blogging is very simple. It is much easier to use and maintain the site on the Internet. In its simplest, a blog does not require any specialized knowledge at all. Login to your account then write and click to "post". That's all! This is due in part to the low barrier to entry, and partly due to such as these - notes, that blogs are also less formal content of the Web alternative. This in itself is another reason for why they are great for affiliates - Blogging is much easier than writing articles!

• Create and build a reputation as an expert. While not everyone can aspire to become a blogging superstar, and therefore requested to publish a book or appear in a film, we can expect something from building a reputation as an expert. Gain an audience of 5000 + is quite within the realms of possibility.

• Distributed via RSS feed. RSS is a technology that allows people to access information that is constantly updated from multiple sources through the reader. Readers work through continuous verification of predetermined links to see if they were updated. When you receive a new message and the reader alerts the user to enter a new and presents the following link to a small excerpt. It is easy to enable RSS feeds on your blog, and if a reliable value of the content published is gradually going to build tens if not hundreds, of members who visit regularly.

• Interaction with readers. Want an interactive website? Wouldn't it be nice if the readers of a website could leave comments, tips or impressions about the site or a specific article? With blogs, they can! Posting comments is one of the most exciting features of blogs. Most blogs have a method to allow visitors to leave comments. There are also nifty ways for authors of other blogs to leave comments without even visiting the blog! Called "pingbacks" or "trackbacks", they can inform other bloggers whenever they cite an article from another site in their own articles. All this ensures that online conversations can be maintained painlessly among various site users and websites.

Types of Blogs

There are many different types of blogs, differing not only in the type of content, but also in the way that content is delivered or written.

Personal blogs

The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life, or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality. Few personal blogs rise to fame and the mainstream, but some personal blogs quickly garner an extensive following. One type of personal blog, referred to as a microblog, is extremely detailed and seeks to capture a moment in time. Some sites, such as Twitter, allow bloggers to share thoughts and feelings instantaneously with friends and family, and are much faster than emailing or writing.

Corporate and organizational blogs

A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business purposes. Blogs used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or public relations purposes are called corporate blogs. Similar blogs for clubs and societies are called club blogs, group blogs, or by similar names; typical use is to inform members and other interested parties of club and member activities.

By Genre

Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs, travel blogs (also known as travelogs), house blogs, fashion blogs, project blogs, education blogs, niche blogs, classical music blogs, quizzing blogs and legal blogs (often referred to as a blawgs) or dreamlogs. Two common types of genre blogs are art blogs and music blogs. A blog featuring discussions especially about home and family is not uncommonly called a mom blog. While not a legitimate type of blog, one used for the sole purpose of spamming is known as a Splog.

By media type

A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog. Blogs with shorter posts and mixed media types are called tumblelogs. Blogs that are written on typewriters and then scanned are called typecast or typecast blogs; see typecasting (blogging).
A rare type of blog hosted on the Gopher Protocol is known as a Phlog.

By device

Blogs can also be defined by which type of device is used to compose it. A blog written by a mobile device like a mobile phone or PDA could be called a moblog. One early blog was Wearable Wireless Webcam, an online shared diary of a person's personal life combining text, video, and pictures transmitted live from a wearable computer and EyeTap device to a web site. This practice of semi-automated blogging with live video together with text was referred to as sousveillance. Such journals have been used as evidence in legal matters.

How Do I Blogs?

You can either set up you blog by choosing one or both of the following:

blogger.com

This one is free and easy to use, however its services are limited. It’s great for beginners.

Wordpress.org

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