Introduction to Blogging


Blog is short for weblog, which is a compound word formed from Web and log.

The first weblogs appeared in the late 1990s as a way to share links and commentary with Web site visitors. The earliest bloggers would read an article on the Web and create a weblog entry or post with a link to that article, often with some personal comments about the article. Since then, the number of blogs available on the Internet has soared to an estimated 20 million.

Most blogs focus on specific topics, making them especially appealing to readers interested in those topics. For example, blogs can be used to express political opinions (Figures 1 and 2), share tips for using computers (Figure 3), provide community information (Figure 4), or publish a personal online journal (Figure 5).

Figure 1. The Daily Kos is a political blog leaning toward the left.


Figure 2. Captain's Quarters is a political blog that leans toward the right.


Figure 3. Miraz's TiKouka offers news and tips for Macintosh users.


Figure 4. Maria runs a blog-powered site with information about the town of Wickenburg, AZ.


Figure 5. Maria's Web site includes her blog, with lots of stories and opinions.


Some blogs have become quite popular and are quoted in the press. Others, written by influential bloggers, may change public opinion about controversial topics. But most blogs appeal to a smaller group of readers, some of whom read the blog regularly and share their comments with other readers.

Most weblogs offer the following features:

  • Automatic creation of Web pages based on the contents of posts. The most recent post appears at the top of the home page or the category page for the post's assigned category.

  • Automatic formatting of Web pages based on a predefined template or theme. Change the blog's theme and the entire site's appearance changes automatically.

  • The ability to include links and images, like any other Web page.

  • Automatic archiving of old posts by category and date.

  • The ability of readers to enter comments about a post, thus starting an online discussion of its contents.

  • RSS feeds, which allow readers to have blog posts delivered to them in their newsreader software. This makes it easy for readers to monitor dozens of blogs and to refer to your posts in their own blogs.

  • Links to related sites or blogs, offering blog readers similar content.

WordPress offers all of these features and more, making it a powerful and flexible blogging tool.

It's easy to understand the appeal of blogging. What easier way is there to get your thoughts and opinions out on the Web?

Tip

  • WordPress.org's article, "Introduction to Blogging" (codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging ; Figure 6) provides a wealth of information of interest to new bloggers.

    Figure 6. If you're a new blogger, read the "Introduction to Blogging" on the WordPress.org Web site.





WordPress 2. Visual QuickStart Guide
WordPress 2
ISBN: 0321450191
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 142

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