Today, the blog represents a constant on the internet. From a personal journal to an online business, more and more people are attracted by the benefits and ease with which such a web service/product can be used. Derived from the English web blog (online journal), the term blog designates a web publication, frequently updated text content, generally following a certain theme and most often having a personal character.
Officially appearing in 1997, their number grew very quickly, so that by 2005 there were 8 million blogs, and six months later, at the beginning of 2006, no less than 27 million were registered, most of them located in the United States.
The blog differs from a website both by its nature and purpose (as mentioned, it is generally personal) and by the way it is managed.
Below we present some characteristics of the blog:
1. It can be created on a free online platform, so neither the domain (the site name) nor its hosting costs anything. This is the case with well-known blogging platforms like Wordpress, Blogspot, Blogger. The disadvantage (if it can be called that) is that the blog will have, for example, a name like blogulmeu.blogspot.ro, thus also taking the extension of the platform on which it is hosted.
2. Due to the first characteristic, it can be created and maintained by anyone interested in the online environment, involving only time resources and commitment to writing and publishing articles and posts.
3. The blog can also be created and hosted like a regular website, having a domain name and separate hosting, paid just like in the case of a regular website. The difference is given by the published content and its purpose.
4. Another option is integrating the blog into a presentation or commercial site. An example is the very blog on which you are reading this article, which is integrated into the site www.ludoprogramming.com.
5. Each article will appear chronologically at the top of the page; in other words, the most recent posts will be viewed first by the visitor.
6. The topics that can be addressed are infinitely varied; each person who decides to create a blog can choose to write about what they are passionate about, about their daily activities, about food, travel, sports, crocheting, or to publish their poems.
7. A blog can be maintained just as a hobby, or it can be turned into an online business, through which you promote and sell your products, whether online (e-book, consulting, etc. – anything that can be done via the internet) or as tangible goods (books, gifts, paintings, etc.). Additionally, you can sell others' products through an affiliate system (we will write about this topic in a future article).
In conclusion, blogs represent a form of expression, a means through which we can make our vision of the world and life known, a way to share with others our experience, wisdom, and expertise, or to present projects, achievements, or the results of our work.
In a future article, we will present in more detail the 3 major blogging platforms, as well as the possibility of integrating a blog into the site you manage.
