What is a Blog? – Blogging Explained
By now you have most likely heard the term “blog” used many times. Blogging has become popular in recent years and more people are starting their own blogs.
So, what is a blog? What exactly does it mean to be a blogger and start blogging?
This post will teach you the definition of a blog and what “blog” actually means.
There are many reasons why people blog. Blogging allows people to share with others, make connections, meet others, learn, and best of all have fun.
A blog can also be made to be profitable. Blogs can be a valuable way to promote your business, create new opportunities, and encourage a more positive lifestyle.
Without further delay, let’s start!
What Is a Blog?
Let us first start by clearly defining what a blog is and the literal definition of the word.
Many people get confused with the meaning of a blog. Some people ask, what is the difference between a blog and a website?
The truth is, there is no difference at all because a blog is just another type of website. However, a blog has some unique characteristics compared to other types of websites. Many “normal” websites may also have a blog section with blog posts.
Let’s look at the definition of a blog. Wikipedia offers a concise definition of a blog. According to Wikipedia:
A blog (a truncation of the expression weblog) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries (“posts”) typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first).
Webopedia also provides a definition of what a blog is:
Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.
To reiterate, a blog (short for “weblog”) is an informational website that features articles (blog posts) listed with the most recent ones appearing first. If you need further explanation, here is what Google defines a blog as:
What is blogging?
Now that you know what a blog is, it is easy to guess the meaning of blogging.
As blogs grew more and more popular, some terms came into use to describe actions and people associated with blogs.
Here are some common terms you most likely heard:
- Blog: A type of website consisting of articles (posts) usually published in reverse chronological order.
- Blogging: Used to describe the actual act of writing blog posts. When someone is writing for their blog, they are said to be blogging.
- Blogger: Blogger typically has two common meanings and it is important to understand the difference. The most common use is referring to someone who owns a blog. Someone who owns and writes for a blog is called a blogger. The second meaning refers to the Google blogging platform, Blogspot.
- Blogroll: Sometimes when bloggers want to share other blogs with their readers, they create a list of blogs called a blogroll or blog-roll. A blogroll is essentially a list of blogs the blogger likes.
- Blogosphere: This term is used to refer to all blogs and bloggers that are on the internet.
Blogging is used for many purposes and there and many different types of bloggers. Two typical uses for blogs include business blogs and individual blogs.
Businesses may choose to add a blog to their site as a way to attract more customers.
The other type of is individual people blogging for a hobby or for profit. These are the blogs you have probably heard of and include travel blogs, lifestyle blogs, food blogs, fashion blogs, and much more. Blogs are a great way for people to share their life and experiences with others.
Why Blog? Benefits of Blogging
Blogs are a great source of information and many people seek them out.
A blog can easily be created by anyone. The nice thing is, no experience or technical programming knowledge at all is required to set one up.
There are many reasons why people start blogging. Here are a few of them:
- Blogging is easy: There are really no requirements to be a blogger. You don’t need to do any coding to set one up, and you don’t have to be an extraordinary writer either.
- Learn and improve skills: Blogging can be a great learning opportunity. Through researching, writing posts, and connecting with others, blogging can improve communication skills, writing skills, and be a way to learn about new things.
- Help others: When you blog, you are creating something for other people. The fact that you are doing something for others is nice and adds to the experience.
- Share and make connections: Blogging is all about making connections with other bloggers. By reaching out to others, you can promote your own blog and also meet new people.
- Create opportunities: A blog is a great thing to use to build your own credibility. Successful bloggers use their blogs as an advertisement for themselves which can lead to speaking, coaching, and other opportunities.
- Blogging is fun: Most importantly, blogging is enjoyable. If you decide to make money from your blog, you can do something you like as well as potentially making a profit.
There are many benefits to blogging whether you are doing it just for a hobby or want to get serious about it.
How Easy Is It to Start a Blog?
In short, very easy. Creating a blog should only take less than 20 minutes.
With the rise of blogs, many services and tutorials have been created on how to get blogging. The most popular one you have probably already heard of: WordPress. WordPress is used by well over half of all websites using a blogging platform.
WordPress is one of the best ways to start a blog and is one of the easiest especially for beginners.
With WordPress, there are literally thousands of themes (blog design templates) you can use to pick how you want your blog to look. Also, the WordPress community is huge. With extensive guides and support forums available, you can find an answer to virtually any problem you might have. Make sure you use WordPress.org to get the full features.
You can learn how to start a blog quickly with this easy step-by-step guide.
Conclusion
Whether you are looking to learn how to create a blog, or you just want to understand what a blog is, you now should have an answer.
Blogs are a wonderful source of information. In fact, one study shows that there are over 128 million blog readers and growing.
A blog is a unique because it allows a writer to actively with their readers. Responding to comments and answering questions from your readers can be exciting. Anyone can start a blog now and this is why so many people become bloggers.
Whether just for a hobby or for serious blogging, starting a blog has many benefits. Bloggers learn, share, and make new connections each day. Reading blog posts is fun, and for bloggers creating them can be even more enjoyable.