Chapter 27. Blogging Basics

IN THIS CHAPTER:

180 About Blogging

181 Create an Account at Blogger.com

182 Build a Blog Through the Wizard

183 Make Your First Post

184 View Your Blog

185 Read Blogger News

186 Browse Blogs

187 Comment on Other People's Blogs

Not long ago, Merriam-Webster, Inc. announced that blog had been selected as the number one word for the year. It defined a blog as "a website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks ."

There are articles on how the blogging community has pointed out inconsistencies in national news stories. During the election process in 2004, blogs were used for organizing and getting news out to innumerable political groups. Blogs are praised and belittled in equal amounts in the press, but people are reading them more and more and thus they are here to stay.

It's pretty cool that the blog has become as prominent as fast as it has, but the blog is not limited to personal musings about life, politics, or music by any means. A well-designed and maintained blog can be used by a company to interact with its customers. It can deliver news with comments directly attached to the story. It can be a source for users of a product to interact with each other. It can become a way to ask questions of your readers and have them help you define the direction of your site. A blog can also be a great tool for a large group of people who are addressing the same problem. It enables them to communicate with one another in a place where the conversation is maintained and kept public, unlike email. I can think of no site that is active and vibrant that does not have a blog associated with it in some way or another.