Learn the History and Future of the Term 'Blog

The Definition, Origin, and Purpose of the Term 'Blog'

A blog is a website that consists of entries called posts that appear in reverse chronological order with the most recent entry appearing first, similar in format to a daily journal. Blogs typically include features such as comments and links to increase user interactivity. Blogs are created using specific publishing software.

The term "blog" is a mashup of "web log." Variations of the term:

• Blogging: The act of writing a post for a blog
• Blogger: A person who writes content for a blog
• Blogosphere: The online community of blogs and bloggers

The World Before Blogging

There was a time when the internet was just an informational tool. In the early life of the World Wide Web, websites were simple and provided one-sided interaction. As time went on, the internet became more interactive, with the introduction of transaction-based websites and online shopping, but the online world remained one-sided.

That all changed with the evolution of Web 2.0—the social web—where user-generated content became an integral part of the online world. Today, users expect websites to provide two-way conversations, and blogs were born.

The Birth of Blogs

Links.net is recognized as the first blogging site on the internet, although the term "blog" didn't exist when Justin Hall, a college student, created it in 1994 and referred to it as his personal homepage. It is still active.

Early blogs started as online diaries in the latter half of the 1990s. Individuals posted information daily about their lives and opinions. The daily posts were listed in reverse date order, so readers viewed the most recent post first and scrolled through previous posts. The format provided an ongoing inner monologue from the writer.

As blogs evolved, interactive features were added to create a two-way conversation. Readers took advantage of features that allowed them to leave comments on blog posts or link to posts on other blogs and websites to further the dialogue.

Blogs Today

As the internet has become more social, blogs have gained in popularity. Today, there are more than 440 million blogs with more entering the blogosphere every day. Microblogging site Tumblr alone had a reported 350 million blogs as of July 2017 according to Statistica.com

Blogs have become more than online diaries. In fact, blogging is an important part of the online and offline worlds, with popular bloggers influencing the worlds of politics, business, and society with their words.

The Future of Blogs

It seems inevitable that blogging will become even more powerful in the future with more people and businesses who recognize the power of bloggers as online influencers. Blogs increase search engine optimization, they foster relationships with current and potential customers and connect readers to your brand—all good things. Anyone can start a blog, thanks to the simple—and often free—tools readily available online. The question will likely become not, "Why should I start a blog?" but rather, "Why shouldn't I start a blog?"

What is a Blog? - Explanation of Terms Blog, Blogging & Blogger (2018)

What is a Blog? – The Definition of Blog, Blogging, and Blogger

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Do you know what blogs are? If you don’t, then you’ve come to the right place. In the beginning, a blog was more of a personal diary that people shared online, and it goes back to 1994. On this online journal, you could talk about your daily life or share things you do. But, people saw an opportunity to communicate any information in a new way. So began the beautiful world of blogging.

What is a Blog?

Definition of blog

A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website displaying information in the reverse chronological order, with latest posts appearing first. It is a platform where a writer or even a group of writers share their views on an individual subject.

Blog structure

The appearance of blogs changed over time, and nowadays blogs include different items. But, most blogs include some standard features and structure. Here are common features that typical blog will include:

• Header with the menu or navigation bar
• Main content area with highlighted or latest blog posts
• Sidebar with social profiles, favorite content, or call-to-action
• Footer with relevant links like a disclaimer, privacy policy, contact page, etc.

Above example is the basic structure of the blog. Each item has its own importance and helps visitors to navigate through your blog.

Blog characteristics

There some specialties that are common to blogs:

Archives

You may look at the front page of a blog and overlook its appearance. In most cases, they have few recent articles or links to other blog posts. But, much more is hidden below the surface. When you post a new article on your blog, it appears on the first page. The more content you post, it begins going down the list. Eventually, it will move to the next page (archive) of your blog.

Comments

Feedback from visitors is critical to any blogger who writes and posts content online. Conversational posts encourage interaction with blog guests. At the end of every blog article, readers can share their different opinions via comments. A better method of learning how it works is to take the initiative and leave your comments on blogs. Go online read few blog posts that are of your interest and share your opinion by commenting.

Blogs and websites

A majority of people still wonder whether there is any difference between a blog and a website. What is a blog and what is a website? It’s even more challenging to differentiate between the two today. Many companies are integrating blogs into their sites to perform the same function.

What differentiates blogs from websites?

Blogs need frequent updates. Good examples include a food blog sharing meal recipes or a company writing about their industry news.

Blogs promote perfect reader engagement. Readers get a chance to comment and voice their different concerns to the viewer. Static websites, on the other hand, consists of content presented on static pages. Static websites owners rarely update their pages. Blog owners update their site with new blog posts on a regular basis.

Key elements that identify a blog post from a static page include a publishing date, author reference, categories, and tags within a byline. While not all blog posts have all those by line elements, static website pages do not have any of these items.

From a visitor perspective, the content on a static site will not change from one visit to the next. The content on a blog, yet, has the potential to offer something new each day, week, or month. Depending on the blog owner’s publishing schedule.

What is blogging?

In the early 2000s, blogging emerged in all different phases when several political blogs were born. Also, blogs with how-to manuals began to appear. Established institutions began to note the difference between the journalism and blogging.

Definition of blogging

Blogging is the many skills that one needs to run and control a blog. Equipping web page with tools to make the process of writing, posting, linking, and sharing content easier on the internet.

blog definition and example 2018

Contemporary definitions for blog. noun. an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog , Web log. Examples. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.




                                

blogger

A person who regularly writes material for a blog.

‘food bloggers post a recipe on a particular theme’

‘the official festival blogger’