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If you're new to the blogging world, you may still be wondering what on earth a blog actually is.
And you may even feel a little embarrassed or even ashamed when others talk about blogs and you don't really know what they're talking about.
Well, don't feel bad, because I'll now help you demystify this whole blogging thing once and for all. The word "blog" is short for "weblog", and it's a term that was created for a special kind of website that essentially helps you write down a "log" of...stuff... well, anything really!
In the "old" days (just a few short years ago now) a lot of people used blogs as a type of online journal where they could write down whatever happened in their lives, and share it with their friends and family.
And this still happens today. But, nowadays, blogs are the most popular type of website on the internet - for both people, as well as for search engines - but more on this soon.
People now use blogs to publish content related to any and every topic you could imagine, ranging from how to raise kids to internet marketing to personal development - in fact, almost any topic that you can conceive of.
A blog is really just a special kind of website that lets you easily publish content whenever you want and allowing other people to interact with your content in the form of writing comments in response to whatever you published.
So, it's quite different from the stuffy old "static" websites that do not change their content as a general rule of thumb. Blogs are a lot more fluid and interactive than the normal "old school" websites... and much more effective too!
But why have blogs become so extremely popular in the recent past? Well, there are at least three reasons...
1. Blogs are popular with the search engines.
Because blogs get updated with new content so often, search engines lists them very high up on their search results. This means that blogs are likely to get more traffic than normal "static" websites because more people can find them quickly and easily in search engines like Yahoo and Google.
Now, if you were a website owner, which would you prefer? A stuffy old static website that does not change and does not get listed in the search engines, or a vibrant ever changing interactive blog that gets listed in the major search engines? Easy decision right?
2. Another main reason is because blogs are interactive.
Whenever you visit a blog, you can read the original post by the author of the blog, and then you can also submit a comment expressing your own thoughts on what the blog post was about.
When other people join the "conversation", things can get very interesting, and you could end up with a very exciting collection of thoughts from people from all over the world. Because conversation in itself creates a bit of "drama", people naturally get attracted to it, and want to be a part of it. And thus, the more people who do this, the faster this whole blogging thing grows.
3. And of course, blogs have got to be one of the easiest kind of websites to set up.
Believe it or not, but you don't actually need any technical knowledge such as html programming and a lot of money to be able to set up your own blog. If you can click a few buttons and type letters on your keyboard, that's all you need for setting up your very own blog. And in some cases, you could even set up a new blog in a matter of minutes! They don't cost a thing either.
But these are only three of many reasons why blogs are so popular, and there are many other reasons as well and I'll leave you to explore those for yourself.
So, in summary, a blog is really just a special kind of website that allows you to easily add content, and get other people from all over the world to absorb and interact with your content on the internet.
Get started today and start making money online.
Here are some words to start expanding your blogging vocabulary:
Permalink – Permalink stands for permanent link, which is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that leads to an individual post that you make in your blog.
Trackback – When you post about someone else’s blog post elsewhere, your post will show up in their “trackback” section. This feature, however, is not available with a Blogger account.
Pinging – Blogging seems to be paired with pinging almost every time either one is mentioned nowadays. Pinging is actually the action where a certain aggregator is notified whenever your blog is updated, so that the aggregator may show the newest post of your blog on their website. This is a useful way to gain traffic, which I'll discuss in a future article.
Content
Next, let's look at the type of content that's suitable for your blog in order to make it profitable. You need to understand that there is no fixed scope that your blog should have, which means you can write about whatever you’re interested in. Mind you, the difference between a profitable blog and a non-profitable one is the way you write. What would you prefer: reading your university professor’s lecture notes or the latest novel by your favorite author? People prefer to read "light" items most of the time. When they check out your blog, they are not only looking for information, but they are also looking for information that they can access easily.
So, to attract more visitors as well as to keep your current readers coming back for more, it's very important to add a personal touch to your blog posts. This can be done by simply imagining that you’re talking with your personal friend. An extra bonus for your readers would be a great sense of humor, so try to add funny comments in your articles where relevant.
Another important point is to avoid addressing your reader as a plural unit. Don't write as if you’re preparing a speech. Instead, write as if you’re having a conversation with a single person, an equal friend, because this will make your reader relate to you more easily.
Besides that, it's also very useful to establish your own personality through your words. We're very curious creatures, so naturally your visitors would want to know as much about you as the information you’re offering them.
Having a distinctive personality in your blog will make a world of difference between your blog about gadgets and all the other blogs about gadgets out there. This is a lot like creating your own brand name, where people immediately remember your blog’s name when they need information about gadgets, just like how people immediately think of McDonald’s for fast-food or Nike for sportswear.
There will be more on the subject of content the next time.
When word gets around about your command of blogging, others who need to know about blogging will start to actively seek you out!
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