All About Blogging

The Blogging Phenomenon

Blogging as a phenomenon grew from the connectivity of the internet, and with internet access almost as common in homes and businesses as the phone, people are finding that it is a very useful tool. In fact, the internet is having the same type of impact on people's lives as the introduction of the telephone once did, broadening connections around the globe, allowing them to keep in touch, do business, and store data. And creating a blog sets up one of the most useful of the new internet tools.

Blog entries are more like a personal journal than anything else, even when used for business purposes. The word "blog" is a shortened form of "weblog," which is itself a combination of "web" and "log." So the blog is like a log of someone's thoughts on particular topics. The writer posts a blog entry, perhaps once a day, discussing everything from what the cat did that morning, to book reviews, to business information.

Blogging came from dissatisfaction with how the first internet websites worked. Initially, individuals and businesses created sites that were more like encyclopedia or dictionary pages than anything else. All the pages did was to provide information that viewers were to sit and absorb. Eventually, however, designers and viewers recognized that this did nothing to build relationships or to convey that the website owner cared what they thought. Something more personal and even interactive was needed. So the blog phenomenon began as an electronic diary, where people recorded their daily thoughts. Each blog post included a spot for readers to add comments, and eventually communities formed, comprised of people interested in the topics discussed in the blog.

For conveying business news, a company blog became something like an executive taking off the jacket and tie and sitting beside the customer on a bench, to chat casually about the company. The blogging format is more relaxed than an essay or report, and is usually stripped of formal business terminology. So while similar information might be conveyed, a blog post is generally more readable. It doesn't replace the more essay-like, informational sections of the website, but it is a gateway for customers who have become interested and want more details.

Businesses also soon discovered that the other benefit of blogs was the Comments section, where customers could finally give concrete feedback. Through the response to bloggers, companies began learning what their customers actually wanted from them, possibly for the first time. They could eliminate or modify products, improve service, and add services that were in high demand. Customers, in turn, were impressed that they could influence the direction the company took.

This phenomenon has revolutionized online relationships. A personal blog brings people together who share common interests. A small or large business can keep in touch with its customers on an individual basis. Companies can interact with and learn from their own buyers, to improve products and to build customer loyalty. Blogging has almost become essential for anyone who wants an effective, interactive presence on the internet.

Related Topics About Blogging

Blogging
For every great blog on the internet there are hundreds of others that are nothing more than garbage. Who cares if your dish disposal stopped working or your child has trouble with potty training? The key to successful blogging is writing about things people are genuinely interested in. And if you own a business then a blog can be a great way to get the information out to thousands of people.

Lost
As people continue to embrace new technologies and recognize the expense of constantly upgrading their data into the new formats, many resign themselves to lost records. Both the ordinary person as well as news makers and analysts who publish weblogs may eventually vanish from the digital record. Even just deleting one's own email could erase documents that might have helped future historians understand the events of this time period.

Celebrity
Sports figures, of course, are not immune either, with sports blogs following the gossip trend, running items about players' love lives or speculation about drugs or illegal activity. And politicians are now major targets as well, having achieved a greater level of celebrity than ever before. However squeaky clean they might portray themselves, if they've got a skeleton in their closet, or even just an old finger bone, then someone is going to find them out and make a blog post about it.