A Basic Introduction to Blogging
BY
MAL KEENAN
Web logging first appeared on
the Net in the mid-1990s. The term "web log" was initially
coined to refer to a server's log file and then expanded to
include the meaning of online personal journaling. Later on,
to avoid confusion, the word "blog" was adopted to refer to
personal journaling. Today a blog is defined as an online
publication where an author puts his or her personal thoughts
and opinions from the most intimate to corporate ideas,
concerns or events, in chronological order on the Net.
Although, there are as many
kinds of blogs online as there are people, most of these will
roughly fall into these kind of bloggers: Personal Bloggers
(the original use of blogging), then there are the
organizational and business Bloggers.
Organizational blogs are meant
to facilitate communications between its internal and external
audiences. It may also provide information for the external
publics' use.
Business blogs promote
products or services for profit. They also increase awareness
about the company, as well as establish itself as an authority
with customers, vendors, through publications that demonstrate
their expertise in the market.
What are the kinds of contents
that readers can find in a blog that's for distribution? The
authors' ideas, opinions, expertise in his/her field of work,
resumes, and home recipes, pictures, streaming audio or video
clips, ebooks, poetry, works, products, services and
consultations.
Why have blogs become very
popular compared to websites or email? Most websites are
infrequently updated, while blogs have instant publishing
tools which permit the author to regularly update & introduce
new content. Although both have great content, websites are
usually impersonal in informing their audience. While blogs
allow the readers to leave their comments and feedback, to
hold two-conversations with the author, who usually does the
publishing and can immediately respond to his/her readers.
The blogs' abilities to reach
and immediately react to an expanding mass of audience have
made businesses and marketers use these as a strategic
marketing tool. Additionally blogs are very efficient, cheap
to use and can quickly distribute information.
However, before you decide to
jump on the blogging bandwagon, take time to find out what are
your objectives for creating your own blog. Is it a personal,
organizational or business blog? This will help you decide on
what your blog will contain, where you'd place it and what
publishing tools you'll be using.
Copyright 2005 © Mal Keenan
Mal Keenan is editor and
publisher of the
Home Business Tips Blog. Visit his
Internet Marketing Plug In Training site for great
strategies and step by step processes in running a successful
online business.
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