Wednesday, December 3, 2008

A Blog Is....

By Don Bethune

Internet usage is now all the rage for people to engage in communication with one another. Although people use email, instant messenger and chat, others have begun to create a type of online diary that gives others the chance to both read and comment on the writings. Blogs have become ever more fashionable, being authored by celebrities of stage and screen as well as various places of business. But our first question remain, what is a blog?

A blog can be a personal journal that is written online and shared with all and sundry or it can be a forum for your political statements. A blog can allow you to track media events or connect with customers on a more personal level. Family members now have blogs simply as a mechanism to stay involved and in contact with their far flung family members.

Why blog? Well, a blog gives an individual the ability to share their uncensored beliefs on many subjects. A large number of blogs give their readers the ability to respond personally to their various issues. Indeed, a number of blogs are created just to generate debate or absorb readers in the online topic.

Some bloggers post pictures they have taken online, some even post videos of their activities. Others may share items that other authors allow to be shared online. Bloggers frequently post links to other favorite websites, such as those belonging to friends, or even sites owned by those who comment.

Blogs can be insanely popular, and garner a lot of website traffic. Some of the most popular web sites on the internet are strictly personal blogs of individuals who we would otherwise have never heard of. People can gain celebrity status just from creating a popular blog.

Blogs can generate income for their owner. The main way of making money using a blog is advertising. Many blogs allow inexpensive advertising. There are advertising management programs that allow the applying blogger to post content-targeted ads, generating money for each view.

Bloggers have a number of ways that they can increase traffic to their web site; some hold competitions or offer exclusive visitor content. Some spend money to obtain website traffic in order to increase their viewership and thus, perhaps, increasing their ad revenue.

So the next time you wonder, really, what is a blog? You know itas now more than just a random collection of someoneas thoughts; it can be informative, entertaining, or thought-provoking. It can create extra income for the author, or if it gets popular enough, even become a full-time job. - 16069

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