All about Blogs

Blogs are everywhere!  According to the Search Engine Journal, there are over 133,000,000 different blogs indexed by Technorati as of 2009.  And the number just keep on growing.

But just what are they?

A blog is actually a specific kind of website that contains mainly commentaries and descriptions about people, places, products, services, and events. These posts are usually displayed in reverse-chronological order, with the most recent post placed on the topmost part of the blog.

The blogs of today evolved from from online diaries that became popular back in the early 1990s.  Just like their traditional paper counterparts, online diaries became a place where people can write about their day-to-day activities.  Eventually, the topics discussed on these online diaries became more specific topics.  Today, blogs are used by business establishments to increase brand awareness and market their various products and services.  News channels like CNN use blogs to post breaking news stories and commentaries about the most talked about issues in society today.  Even non-government organizations are using now blogs as a means to further advocate their cause.

One of the unique features of blogs is that they encourage more interaction than other kinds of websites through the ability of readers to leave their comments and insights on a particular post.  This feature was first used by Open Diary launched by Bruce Albeson back in October 1998.

Majority of the blogs that you can find are textual, meaning that they mostly contain articles and various posts in text format.  However, there are also a number of different kinds of blogs that focus on one or more types of media.  For example, there are music blogs used by musicians where they can market their singles by providing links where visitors can listen to their latest compositions.  Other media-focused blogs include photoblogs (showcasing photographs taken by the author of the blog) and podcasts (mostly messages and videos where visitors can subscribe and have these downloaded through ITunes© or any other media software program).


To find out more about blogs, you can check out the following resource materials below:


Blogging For Dummies by Susannah Gardner & Shane Birley


Blog Schmog: The Truth About What Blogs Can (and Can't) Do for Your Business by Robert W. Bly