Before getting into blogging definitions and why they are used we first need to understand what a blog is, what the purpose is of the blog and what it really is used for in the advertising market today. There are many people who do not know or understand what it means to blog.
The word blog itself is short for web log. When blogging first began it was as a sort of journal for internet users and enthusiasts that was used to write down their daily activities, thoughts and opinions on varying subject matters for public consumption. Livejournal and MySpace are famous sites for blogging.
In general they represent the personality of the author or the purpose, as it is used more readily now, of the web site that hosts the blog.
Advertising companies have discovered the popularity of blogging and have taken it upon themselves to create ad-specific blogs to hopefully gain hits to sites earning more ad revenue. Software companies have seen the trend as well and have produced programs to aid one in mass blogging.
Why should I take the time to blog?
Blogging today is used to increase web site traffic. In order to generate ad revenue and sales of banner space we need to have our web site at the top of the big search engines such as Google, Ask, Yahoo and any other lesser known search engines. In order to achieve the top spots blog articles now contain what other web sites have used for ages: keywords. Keywords are found by search engine spiders in order to generate the relevance by which sites get ranks per the users search criteria.
In 90% of cases the person doing the searching will click on the top five results that a search engine gives them. Out of millions and millions of people searching on a topic at any given time this translates to hundreds of thousands of clicks. The search engines then recognize your traffic statistics placing you higher in rankings.
Blogging is definitely a phenomenon unto itself, but unlike Beanie Babies there is no sign of it slowing down. Besides the advertiser, who else utilizes blogging? Simply put: everyone. If you spend time posting messages on MySpace or Livejournal or Yahoo 360 than you are a blogger. There are professional bloggers out there getting paid for doing what others do as a hobby.
A blogger is a CEO, a student, a techie or a teacher. A blogger is your mom, dad, grandpa and ma. Imagine a recent conference in Cambridge, Harvard Law to be exact. Just for blogging and bloggers. You get the idea. These things aren't meant for the weak of heart. Many discussions about the blogosphere, global communication and one voice are all bantered about making the face to face seem less fun than staying home and chatting it up online.
There are many definitions used within blogging, a virtual dictionary of catchphrases and acronyms that are used within the blog world to identify the nuances of the subculture. People outside of the bloguverse would not understand all of the terminology that is used.
BLOGGING - THE WHAT
These are probably the simplest terms to understand. To garner a full grasp of the terms you should start at the beginning.
Bloggeries: The term used to refer to the posts within a blog. You write bloggeries and post them on your blog. Also commonly called posts or entries.
Blogosphere: The blogging community at large. It is the internets version of a biosphere. (No we are not referring to that movie with Paulie Shore...)
Weblog: A journal or sorts or a diary. Dated and filled with stories, events, opinions and other such things.
Blogging: The act thereof.
Blog: Literally a shorter version of a weblog. A teaser.
Blogger: A blogger is the term used to describe the person who is actually writing the blog.
BLOGGING - THE HOW
How we blog is as varied by who blogs and what purpose it. There are blogs that include basic writing, audio files or videos and photography.
Photoblogging: Pretty straight forward. These are blogs that utilize photos and images to convey a story or intent.
Podcasting: Blogging's audio cousin; very similar to a blog but in audio format.
Mobblogging: Mobile phone blogging.
Vlogging: The use of video instead of text to blog.
Audioblogging: Think of vlogging but with MP3s.
Autocasting: This goes hand in hand with podcasting making the task automated.
Blogcasting: The combining of the blog and pod cast into a single web site.
Blogging can be fun but it can also be very daunting. There are software programs and sites which make this a less annoying and aggravating task.
Blogger: Google has created this free platform to simplify blogging activity.
Blogspot: A web host that specifically hosts blogs. Typical addresses would be blog.blogspot.com and the like.
Livejournal: Livejournal, like MySpace, is a free site where people meet to talk and write blogs.
Movable Type: Paid tool.
Typepad: Another paid tool.
Wordpress.org: You can upload to this site easily. Customizing and upgrading your blogs are easy.
Wordpress.com: Another free host site.
Radio Userland: Publishing software for bloggers.
BLOGGING - THE GUTS
The innards of a blog are important. What are the things that the majority of blogs consist of? This is where it starts getting technical. Some of these terms will seem familiar to you as some are common place within the confines of the internet or computers in general.
Header: Also the title. Found at the top most portion of the website. A lot of keywords get hidden here as a lot of search engines go from top to bottom and they don't see as we do so any text that is placed at the top of the site that is the same color as the background will be read and used to generate positioning.
Footer: Typically the very last thing on the web page and will typically list the same things as the header.
Index: The first page we see of any site is the index.
Navbar: Also sometimes called a sidebar. These can be positioned left or right of the main pages contents. This is where the categories and subjects are listed.
Post(s): Also known as entry. These are the individual entries of a blog or the bloggeries.
Comments: Reader's are able to post comments to a blog, adding onto the popularity and keyword base.
Ping: A standard net term short for Packet Internet Grouper that is used to track IP addresses as well as to notify automatic services of updates.
Trackback: A ping is sent to another blog thru a trackback system to alert a blogger to the mentioning of their blog. This is also sometimes known as a pingback.
Tags: Placing of keywords as a way to collect similar posts.
Tag Cloud: The display of keywords.
Captcha: Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart. Captcha's are small image boxes containing letters, number or words that you have to re-type in order to verify you are a human.
Link: An access point to specific articles.
Blogroll: Links to other blogs and the nav or sidebar.
Sideblog: A mini blog or blurb on the sidebar.
Template: A generic web site where you just have to fill in the information and post.
Blogthis: An added function that allows a blogger to add to an entry.
Plugins: Mini files you download to your computer that works with your browser to give you added features.
Dashboard: Like that of a car it is where your controls are. Editing and moving files etc.
Archives: Like those found in your library but for the internet. It's a collection of all tings blogiful and placed in reverse order by date.
Post Summaries: An expandable teaser of a larger blog.
Continue: Also referred to as a jump this is a link to continue on to another section of a blog in order to save space and load times.
FTP: File Transfer Protocol. It is also a type of program. All used to upload content.
BLOGGING - THE FEEDING
In order get your information out to the general public you need to make it so that it can be seen by them. This is called feeding or web feeds. This is how a blog is seen by a user.
Web Feed: Subscriptions. Typically you join a site to read a blog.
RSS: A series of web feeds for syndication purposes.
XML: A sort of HTML but meaning Extensible Markup Language making it a more advanced form of what we know to be HTML. It is usually used to help syndicate a site.
Photofeed: A feed like the others but using images.
OPML: This is an XML format specifically used for outlines. You can easily import multiple subscriptions.
ATOM: Very blog specific feed and most blogs are of this type.
BLOGGER - WHO
There are as many kinds of blogs as there are bloggers. Bloggers usually fit into one subset of the culture as a whole.
Problogger: Someone who spends hours a day just posting blogs. They're paid and usually work for ad companies.
Blognoscenti: Or blog snob. Someone who is incredibly knowledgeable about blogs and their inner workings.
Blogebrity: Someone who everyone else knows. Could be a real celebrity who blogs or someone who's a pro who everyone knows to blog.
Blogerati: The paparazzi of blogging.
Bloggerite: The blogosphere's equivalence of a socialite; similar to a blogebrity.
Commentariat: This is someone who leaves comments to blogs on a regular basis.
Dooced: Getting dooced or to dooce. This is someone who was fired for blogging excessively during work hours.
Blogther: Someone else who blogs.
A-List: Another type of Blogebrity.
Blogstar: Popular blogger.
BLOGGING - THE HABIT
Bloggers have their own idiosyncrasies while blogging. The method in which an individual blogs helps set them apart.
Metablogging: Blogs and articles about blogging.
Blogstipation: Blog block.
Blogathy: The act of loathing blogging and thusly taking a break from it.
Blogopotamus: A rambling blog that continues, seemingly without end.
Blogorrhea: Someone who posts often and usually has been dooced.
Bleg: A self pandering blog to beg.
Hitnosis: The act of repeatedly refreshing your blog to see if anything has changed.
Blogroach: Someone who enjoys flaming a blogger.
Blogaholic: A person who can't enough writing or reading blogs.
Blogorific: A word used to describe a blog as terrific.
Blogvert: The act of advertising within a blog.
Blogger Bash: A party where bloggers get together online and comment back and forth in real time.
Blogathon: Blogging every thirty minutes for an entire day.
Blogsnob: Someone who refuses to comment to someone who is not a friend.
Blogostorm: Controversy drives revenue. This can also be known as a Blog Swarm.
Doppelblog: Copying some other bloggers work and reposting as your own.
BLOGGING - TYPES
For every type of blogger and blog there is a certain niche of where that particular item will fit. Professional bloggers wouldn't do dark posts, for example as they want to be seen.
The types of blogs you post define, sometimes, who you are in the blogosphere. And that determines your strengths and weaknesses.
Celebriblog: A blog that is run by a celebrity.
Kittyblogger: This is someone who spends time writing about their cats.
Celeblog: The act of blogging about celebrities.
Group Blog: Multiple contributions to multiple blogs.
Event Blog: Blogs used to talk about one event on one date.
Clog Blog: The Dutch do a tremendous amount of blogging and this term is used to set them apart from others.
Movlogs: Video blogs on the mobile.
Metablog: The act of writing blogs about blogging.
CEOBlog: A blog that is run by a corporate executive.
Splog: Spreading spam through blogs.
Tech Blog: Blogs about technical items.
Anonoblog: These are blogs where the poster remains anonymous.
Plog: A blog about a project.
Milblog: Blogging by our men and women in the military.
Blawg: Usually written by lawyers these blogs cover topics of law.
Edublog: Educating the masses using blogs.
Shockblog: The Stern version of blogging.
Progblog: Something that is written in a progressive manner.
Dark Blog: A blog that is private.
Photocast: Photoblogging that updates as soon as you add new photos to it.
As many definitions and translations as listed here there are many, many more but these are enough to keep you from guessing and to make your forward into blogging all that much better.
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