Help Guide - Blogs
September 1, 2007 | In Help Guides |
Table of contents for Introduction To Blogging
- Help Guide - Blogs
- Help Guide - RSS Feeds
What is a “blog”? How does it differ from a “regular website”?
Bottom line, a blog is a website. Blogs have web addresses, and they have links, just like regular websites. However, there are two main differences between a blog and a traditional, regular website:
1. Blogs are updated in a “journal” style with the most recent update on top. In fact, that’s where the term “blog” came from - a shortening of “web log.” These updates are referred to as “posts” or “articles.” Because of this, the structure of blogs revolves around the posts, so sometimes they are laid out a bit differently. Sometimes not, though - many blogs look so much like traditional websites, the difference is practically nonexistent. However, as blogs, they still have the second, following, difference from traditional websites.
2. Blogs allow direct interaction with their writers through the “comments” section. You may be familiar with message boards, otherwise known as forums. Comments are similar, but they are associated with a specific post, rather than being on a separate part of the website. Also, they are usually (but not always) about only that one post. Comments provide a way for readers of the blog to add their thoughts, to expand on the topic of the post, or to answer a question asked by the writer within the post.
From a reading perspective, there is one other thing to point out about blogs - RSS feeds. Although only some regular websites have them, pretty much all blogs do. RSS feeds don’t affect the way a blog works or reads (unlike the two points above); however, they are an important addition to the “blogging experience.” If you would like more information on RSS feeds, please see: Help Guide - RSS Feeds
From a writing perspective, blogs are easy to update and maintain, so there are many more of them than traditional websites. If you are interested in starting a blog yourself, there are many good resources available, but they are beyond the scope of this guide.
So there you have it - the quick and dirty distinction between a blog and a regular website. If you have any questions or know of anything I left out, please leave me a comment below.
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