Your Ad Here

What is a weblog?

If you are a business interested in blogging, it helps to have a concise definition of what blogging is. Dana Blankenhorn sums it up nicely…

Blogs are instant publishing. You write, you cut-and-paste images, you cut-and-paste links, you customize everything through a WYSIWIG interface, and with one click you publish.

There is no Webmaster. There is no gatekeeper (necessarily). There’s just you, your PC, your Internet connection, and a form.

Trying to explain a blog to a non-blogger (like your boss) is pointless. You need to stop trying to explain what makes a blog special and instead explain what makes a blog easy. Blogs are the push-button publishing that everyone hyped inthe early days of the web. Blogging software makes it easy for anyone to publish. That’s all a blog is. That’s all the magic. Sometimes something simple is the hardest to define.

Chris Pirillo
May 22, 2003 11:10 PM

Ah, but I’ve argued that what makes blogging “blogging” is the community that surrounds the page. It’s instantly part of a larger global conversation. It’s brutal honesty. It’s exposing your strengths AND weaknesses to the rest of the world - which is why “corporate blogs” are a walking contradiction.

Christine
May 24, 2003 9:15 AM

But Chris’s comment goes to the debate - is a blog the action of push button publishing (which doesn’t make “corporate blogs” a walking contradiction) or is it the end result of the site created by the action?

When I’m trying to explain a blog to someone that has never seen one, I use a description much like the one you have here - it is a fast and easy way to publish to the web. Blog software can be bent and shaped to create almost any type of site that you want - I could use MT to generate the website for the law firm where I work.

When I am trying to explain MY blog to someone, then it becomes an issue of the community and the larger global conversation. And on that note, I’ll finish this conversation over on my site, with a trackback ping of course!

Keith McCormack
November 29, 2004 10:14 AM

There is a lot of “blogging” going on and a lot of explaining of what blogging is. I guess I’m slow but no one has explained what it is in a way I could totally understand it. Simple question: Is it a published article, opinion, dissemination of info, short stories, challenge. . .and is it published for everyone to read? What is the logic and reason behind one? Thanks. Just being dumb


Your comments:

Text only, no HTML. URLs will automatically be converted to links. Your email address is required, but it will not be displayed on the site.

Name:

Email: (not displayed)

If you don't feel comfortable giving me your real email address, don't expect me to feel comfortable publishing your comment.

Website (optional):

Lijit Search

Best Of

Recently Read

Get More

Subscribe | Archives

Recently

Cloud Reliability (Aug 12)
Would you like to take bets as to whether Amazon or Google have better reliability and safety than your local network service providers?
George Carlin (Jun 22)
"I'm always relieved when someone is delivering a eulogy and I realize I'm listening to it."
Business lessons from the Kitchen (Jun 9)
The Gordon Ramsay School of Business
Under The Radar twittering (Jun 3)
My live stream from Under the Radar
Measuring a CEO's mind (May 29)
Not everything that's important can be measured. Not everything that can be measured is important.
Golden 1: breaking customer expectations (May 25)
Take a potential new user and give them a poor signup experience, then call them a liar.
Sprout Test (May 7)
A test post for Sprout widgets.

Subscribe to this site's feed.

Elsewhere

Feed Crier
Get alerted by IM when your favorite web sites and feeds are updated.
SacStarts
The Sacramento technology startup community.
Pinewood Freak
Pinewood Derby tips and tricks
Del.icio.us
My tagstream at del.icio.us.
Waddlespot
My son's Club Penguin community. News, blogs, tips, and tricks.

Contact

Adam Kalsey

Mobile: 916.600.2497

Email: adam AT kalsey.com

AIM or Skype: akalsey

Resume

PGP Key

©1999-2008 Adam Kalsey.
Content management by Movable Type.