What is a Blog?

A blog is a type of website.

The word “blog” is a contraction of “weblog.”

Of course “Web” refers to the “World Wide Web” (WWW), which is a very large set of interlinked documents accessed via the Internet. (Click here for the difference between the Web and the Internet).

A “log” is a regularly updated record of activities or events, such as ship’s log.

So, a blog is a website with regularly updated articles, photos, videos, audio recordings, etc.

The word “blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. (Example: I blogged about the word “blog” today.)

QUESTION: Since you can also routinely update a regular website with articles, photos, videos, etc., what makes a blog so special?

ANSWER: Three things.

1. A blog is very easy to update with new articles or “posts.” Easier than a regular website. By its very nature, a blog is intended to facilitate a flow of updated material, while a regular website could remain static indefinitely, or perhaps might be updated only now and then.
2. A blog has a built-in system that allows visitors to easily add their own “comments,” agreements, disagreements, or thoughts right after your posts.  (Although you can control and limit this functionality).  In this way, blogs are an important media for facilitating two-way communication and even community between individuals with a mutual interest.
3. Blogs also have a built-in system (RSS) that automatically notifies search engines and other computers when new material is added. In this way, Internet users around the world have the potential to instantly be aware of, and view, your new material – without even visiting your blog (your words automatically show up on their computer). This third part, in particular, is a powerful way to leverage your views, knowledge and expertise via technology.

Blogs are be used by businesses, large and small, to facilitate frequent communication with customers and potential customers. Blogs are used by artists and writers who wish to develop new material online, and/or are desiring visitor feedback or participation. Blogs are used by anyone desiring to promote their services, their products or themselves. In each of these examples, blogs can generate MORE visitors than regular websites, especially when used effectively as part of an search engine optimization strategy. Furthermore, in each of these examples blogs are more effective at establishing increased INTERACTION with visitors, compared to regular websites. The reason why is outlined in the three points stated above.

28 Comments

• 

  By Trent, July 6, 2009 @ 2:42 pm

  successful blogging requires a commitment of time and resources. It doesn’t do too much good to have a blog without updating it and there are lot of guys who start out all enthusiastic and just lose interest over time.

• 

  By maiva, September 10, 2009 @ 11:49 pm

  Which blogging platform do you recommend?

• 

  By GA, September 11, 2009 @ 8:25 pm

  Hello maiva. I’m a strong advocate for the self-hosted Wordpress platform, which is at Wordpress.org. There is also wordpress.com, which is hosted by Wordpress and not yourself. Self-hosted Wordpress is more professional.

• 

  By Skilalep, October 11, 2009 @ 4:27 pm

  yeah. i like your link to “difference between the Web and the Internet”

• 

  By jonesy, December 13, 2009 @ 11:08 pm

  I like to think of blogs as the modern website. Unless a biz has a bery large site, i don’t know why they would use a conventional html website instead of a blog.

• 

  By Castillovi, December 23, 2009 @ 4:19 am

  I like that link on the difference between the INternet and www, too.

• 

  By D J, August 30, 2010 @ 11:56 am

  Hi GA! I just wanted to let you know that I like your site, and found this explanation of blogging very useful. Thank you!

• 

  By GA, August 30, 2010 @ 7:31 pm

  Hey there, DJ!

  Thanks for dropping by. Glad you found something useful.

Other Links to this Post

1. Internet Marketing: Good and Bad of 21st Century Marketing Technology | SkyworksMarketing.com — August 20, 2009 @ 10:43 am

2. Blog Hosting: Subdirectories, Subdomains or Separate Domains | SkyworksMarketing.com — September 1, 2009 @ 10:36 am

3. What is a "Performance-Oriented" Website? | SkyworksMarketing.com — September 3, 2009 @ 12:39 pm

4. Two Fundamentals of Creative Link Building | SkyworksMarketing.com — September 8, 2009 @ 4:27 pm

5. Should You Offer a Paid Online Newsletter? | SkyworksMarketing.com — October 5, 2009 @ 9:03 am

6. Story of Two Blogs | SkyworksMarketing.com — October 6, 2009 @ 2:43 pm

7. You Need a Professional Wordpress Blog | SkyworksMarketing.com — October 6, 2009 @ 2:46 pm

8. What is Link Bait? | SkyworksMarketing.com — October 6, 2009 @ 3:06 pm

9. Internet Marketing Technologies are Just Tools | SkyworksMarketing.com — October 6, 2009 @ 3:12 pm

10. How To Get More Readers To Your Blog? | SkyworksMarketing.com — October 6, 2009 @ 3:31 pm

11. Generating Free Traffic with Blogs | SkyworksMarketing.com — October 6, 2009 @ 3:33 pm

12. Content Creation and The Trust Factor | SkyworksMarketing.com — October 6, 2009 @ 3:34 pm

13. The Power of Internet Marketing Communication Technologies | — November 6, 2009 @ 11:11 pm

14. Outline For Generating an Online Business | — November 6, 2009 @ 11:36 pm

15. Comparison and Review of Joomla vs. Wordpress | — November 11, 2009 @ 6:37 pm

16. Social Media Chocolate Strategy | — November 28, 2009 @ 12:54 pm

17. Publishing Books Through Print-On-Demand | — November 28, 2009 @ 1:11 pm

18. What is Social Media? | — November 28, 2009 @ 1:31 pm

19. Building Relationships By Giving Away Value | — November 28, 2009 @ 1:42 pm

20. Introduction to Google AdWords Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising | — December 26, 2009 @ 1:18 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment