Who Blogs Anyway?

You may have a certain stereotype in your mind as to who actually 'blogs' and who reads a blogs content. Surprisingly everybody who has ever surfed the Internet has probably contributed to a blog in some way or form. As stated in my previous post, blogs cover a wide range of topics; even Google has blogsearch. By browsing a few blogs (which I highly recommend, if only to gain an understanding of how blogging works) you will see that everybody blogs; secondary school children, 22 year olds such as myself and even the older generation are now blogging as a way of supplementing their pension. Yes blogging is no longer unique to the hardened Internet-ers but is accessible and attainable by both you and me.

Individuals tend to blog as a way of expressing their opinion or giving something back to hobbies or past-times they have enjoyed for many years. These blogs often feature tips and tricks and reviews from their chosen area and the bloggers make money through advertising on their sites. An example is Gone Camping UK ; the owner enjoys camping and has chosen to blog about his hobby, generating revenue through advertisements. Larger groups/well known individuals and businesses tend to produce blogs to advertise a product and generate revenue directly through increased web traffic to their website resulting in an increase in sales. Examples here are Blogging to the Bank and MagniWork .



However not everyone aims to directly make money from blogging. The popular TV show Top Gear has a blog which can be found here and acts as an extension to the TV show, of course raising awareness of the show along the way!

Next Time: Is Blogging Profitable?

Blogging....Seriously, whats it all about?

By inciting the curiousity of millions of people all over the world, blogging has announced itself as one of the most popular Internet related phenomena of this decade. Blogging, often quoted as 'the trend of keeping personal diaries online', has now become far more complex owing to the fact that every weblog carries the touch of the owners imagination, interest and wit. Blog topics vary immensely: from politics and economics to triathlon and travel. Blog content is by far the most important feature but after this it is usually the interactive format of the pages that tempt users into navigating and taking action on the site.

As you might expect the history of blogging includes the very first attempts to run an account of one's personal life, with many blog owners referring to themselves as journalists and diarists. Indeed the term blogger is a new way of describing the emerging journalists of this decade who have tamed the Internet and its many resources, creating effective means of publicising their opinions and ideas. In the early years of blogging, perhaps the mid 90's, blogs offered an online community to which people could belong and feel welcomed. Some of these blogs included the very first combinations of text, photography and videography while others began transmitting live images with the help of various portable devices. It was at this age that semi-automated blogging was born.

Initially blogs were not independent pages but were usually an add-on feature of most popular websites. With rapid technological improvement, it soon came into everyones power to create and support independent personal thought online. The only condition it seems to maintaining a successful blog is the ability to produce high quality,'sticky' content week upon week. Creativity, innovation and a slight sense of quirkiness are all good attributes of the modern blogger.

Presently, you can find an abundance of guides to creating successful blogs since many small business owners believe blogging to be an idea opportunity to promote and sell products online. Blogs have now become a key player in Internet marketing and even the most basic of bloggers can now receive a small income from advertising programs. Blogging, thanks to the Internet and marketing, is an activity that promises to continue to grow.

Next Time: Who Blogs Anyway?

The advantages of having a blog...

Some people choose to create blogs and others choose to read them, why? The answer comes from the very working principle behind the entire phenomenom. First off, bloggers are like journalists or columnists and the material we find on blogs is often personalised giving it a more associable and interesting theme. We cannot ignore the interactive dimension of blogs which promotes this form of communication advantageously. We have comment boxes for instant feedback, links to a variety of media across the web, the opportunities to make blogging a two way affair are endless.

Lets face it, blogging is becoming trendy. We all have personal sites on popular social networking applications like Facebook or MySpace which in themselves are autobiographical blogs that are communicated through text, photos and videos. You get an idea of what people appreciate in your writing and get the chance to speak up and comment upon events of public interest in an environment free from discouragement and general demeanour. Everything that you post on a blog is easily accessible, reliably so, such that whenever you need it you know exactly where to find it. Blogging gives the amateur journalist the opportunity to get his/her ideas into print without the intermediary of another publication.

Many webblogs offer constructive debate on current news where many will voice their opinions. The feed-back is not always what you expect but it is important to realise that it is what it is, feedback on a particular issue. Whether negative or positive this is at large what you want from interactive debate; a way of finding out how to improve a product, business or website. If all feedback were positive we would have nothing to aim for.

Many businesses have discovered that blogs are the perfect way to regularily keep in touch with customers and even employees since these 'online journals' are regularily updated. Traditional websites are known for being static in their content and approach but blogs remain to be dynamic, informative and quirky enticing the reader to come back week after week.

Next Time: Blogging, Seriously...whats it all about?

An introduction to blogging....

Many people are attracted by the "blogging" phenomenon thanks to the great opportunity of making themselves heard by a specific targeted audience. Blogs do not have to be complex web pages, it entirely depends on what the creator or author wishes to convey to the world. When you have great pieces of news, funny links or a hobby to talk about, a blog may be just the right way to open up an international community. Most often, webblogs attract more attention than large and well designed web pages, but how is it possible for blogging to have reached such a status? I find the video below from YouTube offers a good introduction to blogging.



First of all, blogs generally tackle with one issue of interest for the user; fresh and rich informational content, extended friendly links to other sites or blogs in the domain. It has become common knowledge by now that blogs often receive more traffic than other web pages. Why is this? The answer begins to emerge when you examine the very essence of a search engine structure: whata search engine likes most is fresh and high quality content. This is the main driving factor in the success of the common blog and the emergence of the blogging craze.

If blogging started as the perfect diary online, it has now grown into many new dimensions. One of which, the commerical area, is the most well developed. As an example blogger Dave who has a keen interest in gardening. His interest is such that he has started his own business in gardening, mostly growing and selling plants. A blog on flowers, plants and their peculiarities would meet the requirements of other people who share your hobby, but it would also function as a great promotion tool for the development of your business. Therefore blogging conceptually is an ideal form of web marketing and hence its success.

Next Time: The Advantages of Having a Blog

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