A blog is a sort of informational or discussion site published over the Internet consisting of blog-style, usually informal text posts. Posts are usually displayed in reverse chronological order, with the latest post appearing at the top of the page, usually above the line. This is most useful for a quick overview of recent happenings on the Internet and serves as a useful reference for users. The blog itself will contain a link to a corresponding index page and/or blog entry, which are generally accessible through a Web browser. Some blog hosts provide additional features, such as an archive facility, which allows users to save a blog after publishing it and adds a backup copy to their server, which allows users to preserve a previous version of a blog without having to publish the entire thing all over again.
Aside from being a good way to keep track of events or personal interests, blogs have other uses as well. For instance, a blog post may serve as an interview by an expert in a particular field, thus bringing more traffic and interest to a website by increasing visibility. The Internet is teeming with blogs these days, and they can be found on almost any topic imaginable. Blogs themselves also serve as a good tool for public relations, promoting a business or spreading awareness about a social issue. Blogging is even considered as an effective means of fundraising, as certain websites allow for monetary donations to be made through blog posts.
Blogging originated in the traditional online writing community called “Gigz”, which was eventually absorbed by WordPress, a free blogging platform developed by blogging fanatics Matt Cutts and John Reese. Originally, bloggers only wrote texts in a format similar to that used by professional journalists or copywriters, which limited the readership to those who were interested in the particular niche being discussed. However, in the last decade, a number of blogs, most notably those based on blogging techniques called WordPress and Blogger, emerged. With the software, bloggers were able to share written content on a more comprehensive scale, allowing for wider appeal and attracting a larger audience.
As more people became interested in blogging, the internet got saturated with free blogging platforms. While it would be nice if every blog post was its own independent entity with its own identity, this is not the case. As blog entries were added, copied, and modified from these free blogs, a hybridized form of the original concept was born. These blogs, however, still bore the name of the original authors and occasionally included their web handles, as well. As a result, blogs quickly spread out from their niche to encompass any topic that could be imagined, bringing a broader readership to the internet’s ever-expanding content market.
Nowadays, blogs are used for a variety of reasons by individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Whether it’s to make money, inform the masses, reveal secrets, or communicate effectively with others, blogging is the new face of modern communication and is quickly becoming the preferred method for publishing content online. Blogs can be easily monetized through advertising, sponsored reviews, and contextual advertising. A blog’s content may also be protected from copyrighting, which allows the owner to pursue the creation of derivative works through the legal system.
A blog is an extremely versatile tool for anyone to use. While some bloggers may choose to maintain a sole blog post, there are many ways to expand a blogger’s scope beyond their own individual blog posts by taking on additional projects. For example, while a single blogger may choose to write solely about fall shoes, they may also take on a secondary role as a writer for a shoe-related website or blog. Even a mainstream media personality may decide to hire a freelance writer to write regular blog posts or open a blog to the public, expanding the blogger’s influence even further.