New to the "blogging" phenomenon? Learn about making a statement
or keeping a journal weblog with this introduction to blogging.
The blog, known less-commonly by the term "weblog," is becoming
an increasingly popular form of Internet communication. It
enables one to make a statement, to keep in touch with old
friends, to precipitate debates and express their feelings.
Just what is a blog? More text-based than most websites, it is a
personal web space that is written in by you and you alone. You
can register with a blogging website to obtain a section of it
for yourself, or you can design your own small site and upload
it to a free or paid host. You can even get your very own domain
name for it, and put whatever you like on it. Anything goes in a
blog - there are, however, a few generalized types of blogging
that people might not even know exist.
The weblog was originally created as sort of an online journal
or diary. This is still the most widespread use of large
blog-providing websites, such as LiveJournal. The journal-style
system, depending on whom the hoster is, allows the blogger to
network their blog with others. With a single click from their
site, they can peruse the new journal posts of dozens of
friends, starting from the most recent. They can set security so
only those friends can read their posts. They can find people
with similar interests and perhaps participate in a community
blog with them. The journal type of blog can contain everything
from quotes to pictures to quizzes to schedules, whatever the
blogger decides to put there, but it is typically used for a
day-to-day chronicle of one's life, and a place to express
happiness or unhappiness. This type of blog is often popular for
keeping in touch with old friends or family who are unable to
see each other often, such as a student living in residence at
college, or a relative who has moved overseas. Journal blogs are
also often highly personalized, making them even more appealing
- the keeper of the blog may add a special website layout, icons
to indicate their mood, or "avatars," small graphics featuring
an image of themselves or some of their interests.
The other major type of blog does not have a specific name or
category, but it is generally used for editorial-style writings.
The blogger pens his or her opinion on a certain subject -
anything that they may feel strongly against. Politics and
religion are common subjects of such blogs, and depending on
where the blogger is hosted he or she may receive hundreds of
comments or e-mails in reply. This is an excellent way to begin
a good online debate, but is less like a forum than it may sound
- remember that one person is making the statement, and all
rebuttals would be featured in comments below, if at all. Rather
than a discussion, an opinion blog is often an opportunity to
draw attention to one's way of thinking, with space for
commenting but little opportunity for in-depth disagreement.
(However, a response from a reader in their own blog is not
uncommon!)
Community blogs are often a mixture of the previous two. They
are usually composed of members of a certain group, or people
who have interest in a similar subject, such as a blog for fans
of a certain TV show or a blog for people who are in a
particular faculty in college. Again, there are no restrictions
on who can or cannot be part of such a community. In these
blogs, events may be planned, people share photos, writings and
artwork, engage in debates, and get to know people similar to
themselves.
Blogging has a lot of potential for artists and aspiring writers
or photographers as well. Any kind of medium that can be written
or scanned - from graphite art to your latest short story - may
be placed in a blog for people to evaluate or constructively
criticize. These types of posts are usually found within journal
or community blogs, where friends and sometimes strangers can
offer their honest advice.
There are dozens of other uses for blogs. They could be a
subsection of a personal website, a showcase for photographs, an
advice column, a space to share song lyrics, recipes,
translations and just about any other form of written text.
There are blogs devoted to thousands upon thousands of subjects,
and millions of people keeping daily diaries in personal blogs.
New to this kind of thing? It's simple and fun, and a great way
to express yourself. All you need is a piece of web space and a
thought, and you're on your way to blogging.
You can find more information here:
http://www.tradingideas4you.com/internet/site-design/site-design.
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