Web Blogs, Defined, Explained and Understood

What are Blogs?

Having heard the term previously but not having paid much attention most are just to afraid to show their ignorance and ask the question, what is a blog? Lets face it; the term blog does not conjure pleasant images.

Blogs are web logs that are updated regularly, usually on a daily basis. They contain information related to a specific topic. In some cases blogs are used as daily diaries about people's personal lives, political views, or even as social commentaries. The truth of the matter is that blogs can be shaped into whatever you, the author, want them to be.

Where Did Blogs Come From?

The roots of blogging can be traced back to the mid 1990's. Who the very first blogger actually was is unclear, as the art of blogging did not really take hold until 1999. The original "weblogs" were link-driven sites with personal commentaries. The very first blogs were human guided Internet web tours. While initially thought of as diaries or online journals, blogs have evolved into the latest fresh web content.

The Future of Blogs

A buzz word in techie circles, "blogging" is the wave of the future. Whether its a fad, or proves to be a new way to communicate with existing and potential customers it deserves at the very least a cursory look.

Why is Blogging Helpful to Businesses or Individuals?

Just as animated .gifs were once cool, blogging is the trendy thing to do. That does not mean that it is not beneficial to businesses. Webmasters struggling to keep fresh, attractive content on their websites to lure visitors back, have found blogs the answer. Content is a necessity for online businesses, both for purposes of being found by search engines but also because it gives visitors a reason to come back.

Now that we have established that blogs are not only trendy but also beneficial to businesses, its important to understand how they can be used to your advantage. We currently manage and update two blogs on a daily basis. The first is our new business blog at:

http://www.notepage.net/blog.htm

This professional business blog allows us the opportunity to tell potential, or existing customers industry news, updates, or generally how mobile or paging software can be used in specific situations to alleviate problems. The bottom line is we control the content. Its updated daily, which increases the chances that search engines will spider on a regular basis and it helps with page rank because it's been submitted to all the blogging directories. Initially started on a whim we've found it beneficial to report tips, tricks or make visitors aware of new regulations related to the mobile or paging industry.

The second blog we manage is at:

http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/blog.html

This blog is less formal and contains marketing tips, or promotional advice for software developers or online marketers. We found that we had overflow from our monthly newsletter. Generating a daily blog would require very little effort and would assist us in creating fresh content which our readers told us was of significant interest.

Blogs & Your Business

The bottom line is you need to determine how a blog will benefit your business, determine a schedule and adhere to it. Let your readers know what to expect and when to expect it. Blogs provide great supplemental content and direct attention to areas of your business that you want to showcase; you direct the content but let your readers guide you.

Creating a Blog

There are numerous online tools that can be used to create a blog. We found that because of security concerns, it would just be best to use a standard html program. In our case we used Dreamweaver and create daily posts. Its really not much more complicated than typing an email. The content is then sent via FTP to a web server. If you want to test the waters there are online web-based tool that helps you publish to the web instantly. The most popular web based tool is likely Blogger http://www.blogger.com.

Other Advantages to Blogs

While you may initially create a blog for your existing customers, you may find that you can attract new customers by illustrating your expertise in a specific field. There are numerous websites that act as "blog search engines", be sure to submit your sites to these websites to increase your exposure. This will also help with your page rank and possibly increase the likelihood you will receive decent ranking with Google. You can also create an RSS feed in order to syndicate blog content and gain additional exposure.

About The Author

Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and http://www.small-business-software.net

---

Tips for a Better RSS Feed

Like anything else, a little work can pay dividends. Well-written... Read More

Google Does RSS

Has Google finally embraced RSS with their new XML powered... Read More

A Basic Introduction to Blogging

Web logging first appeared on the net in the mid-1990s.... Read More

How to Make Money With Your Blog?

Make money blogging is fun: you enjoy blogging and getting... Read More

Do Marketers Really Need RSS?

The recent Forrester Research study, which claims that only 2%... Read More

How To Create A Blog

A blog is an online diary or as some people... Read More

Bloggin for a Reason

For some it's just a fun thing to do, while... Read More

Time Saving Uses For RSS

RSS is an underused and underappreciated technology by a majority... Read More

Why I Use Bloglines as My Default RSS Reader

Choosing a decent RSS reader to browse and read your... Read More

How to Create an RSS Feed

An RSS news feed can be used to communicate with... Read More

RSS Feeds Just Got Better!

We all know that in the world of online internet... Read More

How to Build a Niche Site With a Blog

Building niche sites is all the rage these days.The basic... Read More

How to Use Blogs for Free Targeted Traffic

One of the Number 1 traffic building secrets is adding... Read More

12 Reasons Why You Need A Blog

"Why Should I Blog? I Simply Don't Get It"This post... Read More

Why Wordpress is now my Blog of Choice

The more I use Wordpress, the more I love it.... Read More

How to Use RSS for Free Targeted Website Traffic

RSS (real simple syndication) is the new rage in communication.... Read More

Content Syndication Through RSS Feeds

Delivering regularly updated content to website visitors is easier through... Read More

RSS FEEDS: Whither Thou Goest?

I open up the 'Feed Reader' every day on my... Read More

Got Blog?

In 1999 I asked my friends and colleagues if they... Read More

How to Reel in Web Site Visitors by Building Your Own Blog

I know, I know, blog this...blog that. Seems like everyone... Read More

Will The Real Spammer Please Stand Up!

If you have been using opt-in email marketing for sometime,... Read More

What Is RSS?

Recently I did an interview with a well known email... Read More

To Blog Or Not To Blog

Web logs, commonly referred to as "blogs," represent all the... Read More

Writing Good Blogs

There's a lot of blogs out there on the Web,... Read More

Five Ways A Blog Helps You To Market Your Business

Want to advertise online without spending a fortune? Get a... Read More

Real Estate Marketing with RSS

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an increasingly popular marketing method... Read More

Shorten Your Blogging-RSS Learning and Submission Curve

A blog is a frequent, online publication of comments, web... Read More

10 Benefits of Being a Blogger

I have been a blogger since September 2004 but only... Read More

The Viability of Blogging to a Niche Market

Niche marketing is an old and very successful marketing strategy... Read More

What Are RSS Feeds?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It's a format that... Read More

For Wordpress users version 1.5 new feature ?Pages?

After many requests from wordpress users, the latest version of... Read More

How To Make A Cool Xanga

A xanga is something akin to a blog. It all... Read More

Its A Blog, Not A Sales Letter

The recent spurt of interest in blogging has begun to... Read More