Are you looking for a career which is possible working from your home and where you can work whenever you want? Then Blogging could be one of the better options.
What is a Blog?
The term “blog” which was initially called as “weblog” was used first by Evan Williams at Pyra Labs as both a noun and a verb. The term “Weblog” was coined by Jorn Barger on 17the December 1997.
There are many definitions on blog.
A blog is one type of website where the contents are arranged in a reverse chronological order. Newest content is displayed at the top and the oldest content is displayed at the last. Each blog article or content is usually in the form of entries which is known as blog-post. It makes the blog a dynamic one with up-to-date information at the top.
I have found the following meaning the most impressive one given by wordpress.org.
“Blog” is an abbreviated version of “weblog,” which is a term used to describe websites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. A blog features diary-type commentary and links to articles on other websites, usually presented as a list of entries in reverse chronological order. Blogs range from the personal to the political, and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects.
The above definition presents the blog’s feature and its probable types.
Difference between a Website and a Blog
Is there any difference between a website and a blog? Partly ‘No’. If we look from a technical perspective, both Website and Blog are considered similar. Both of them have same type of URLs.
But ‘Yes’. As we say “All horses are animals but all animals are not horses”, similarly, all blogs are websites but not all websites are blogs. There are differences between these two. The features and services of a blog differentiate it from a website. You can see the figure shown below:
A Website is considered as a static site, showing the contents under category but a blog is considered dynamic because of its up-to-dateness and chronological arrangement of the contents. A website shows contents informal or professional way which is systematic and informative while a blog presents contents mostly in an informal way which are interactive and engaging.
Engaging the users in the conversation becomes the goal of a blog. The content is created in such a way that the readers make the connection with the blogger or author usually in the form of comments. If you see a provision to put a comment at the bottom of a web-page, then more likely you are in a blog-post.
Finally, the line between both is not very rigid. If you ask me what makes a website a blog, my answer will be the main difference between a website and blog is how the contents are presented and organized. Blogs have some added features.
What is a Blogger?
A blogger is a person who owns or manages a blog.
I am a blogger as I have owned this blog i.e., https://webofonlineresouces.com. It means I need to write articles related to the theme of the site. I need to post and share articles that are known as blogposts. I need to manage the site paying the hosting and domain registration charges to hosting company (Bluehost), install the theme, and customize the site (WordPress) as per my requirements and need to make the site up-to-date by posting latest information related to the topic. I need to receive the comments or feedbacks and respond back to the respondents.
So, blogger is a person who maintains or runs a blog. The blogger does all the above mentioned activities starting from registering a domain for the blog to making the blog up-to-date with quality contents.
There may be more than one person who work in a team to successfully run a blog or blogs. Many writers, many editors, many sponsors or affiliate partners may be involved in a blog.
Blogging Platforms
There are many online platforms to create your blog. After going through a small study on the features of the blogging platforms and the services they are providing, I have come up with a list below:
- WordPress
- Blogger
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Weebly
- Tumblr
- Strikingly
- Medium
- GoDaddy
WordPress has been found as one of the best blogging platforms with all required features.
Steps of Creating a Blog
- Choose a name for your blog (May be based on your theme / area of your blog)
- Get your blog name registered under a hosting company (Example: Bluehost)
- Choose a blogging platform and theme (Example: WordPress)
- Customize your blog as per your choice
- Start writing quality content on the relevant theme
- Publish your articles / blog-posts in your blog
- Promote your blog and engage with the readers
- Monetize your site if you want (Through advertisements, affiliate marketing etc.)