Tuesday, November 18, 2008

So What Is A Blog?

By Don Bethune

With the popularity of the internet has come a new way for people to communicate with each other. Besides email, instant messenger, and chat, some individuals are even taking up a form of journal keeping that allows everyone to read and participate in their writing. Blogs are becoming increasingly popular, and are starting to be maintained by celebrities, and even businesses. But really, what is a blog?

Depending on your desires, your blog can be a simple diary that you share online or a way of telling the entire world your views on politics. It can follow media articles, or allow consumers a more intimate connection to a business. Some family members have blogs that keep them in contact with far flung relatives.

What is a blogas purpose? A blog offers a way for the author to share their unabridged opinion on any topic, without having to worry about being censored. Most blogs also offer a way for readers to respond to topics with their own thoughts and comments. Some blogs are authored specifically to spark a debate or engage the readers in a discussion.

Blogs allow their owners to share personal pictures or actual videos of their daily activities. Other blogs have postings by other people who want their thoughts to be visible to a wider audience. Bloggers commonly link to other web sites that they appreciate, or sites owned by their friends, and even web sites owned by visitors that leave comments on the blog.

Itas amazing how popular blogs can be and how much website traffic they can generate. Several of the webas most well-liked blogs are the personal blogs of people we would otherwise have no chance of knowing. Some people have become famous for their blogs.

A blog can also become a source of income for the author. First and foremost is the oldest method of turning your web site into a lucrative endeavor: advertising. Many bloggers offer advertising space on their site for a nominal fee. There are also multiple advertising management programs that bloggers can apply to, that deliver content-targeted ads, and pay the blogger for the views.

There are multiple ways that bloggers use to increase their web site traffic, such as having online competitions, or giving their visitors the opportunity to view content unavailable elsewhere. Some bloggers even shell out money for web site traffic in order to increase their perceived popularity and thus, perhaps, generate more money from advertising.

If you begin to wonder, what is a blog? You now know it is not a chance collection of someoneas random thoughts; it can be an educational experience, an amusing interlude, or simply mentally stimulating. A blog can generate money for its author, and if popular enough, it can provide its author with full-time employment.

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