Monday, January 12, 2009

A Blog Is....

By Don Bethune

The World Wide Web, ever increasing in its popularity, has become a novel way for people to share information with each other. Although people continue to make use of the old standbys of email, instant messenger and chat, they have now begun to communicate in the form of an online journal that allows others to participate and comment on their writing. These journals, or Blogs, are becoming all the rage, some being written by stars and others by corporations.

Depending on your desires, your blog can be a simple diary that you share online or a way of telling the entire world your views on politics. It can follow media articles, or allow consumers a more intimate connection to a business. Some family members have blogs that keep them in contact with far flung relatives.

And what is the purpose of a blog? First, it gives the author a mechanism to share his complete thoughts on topic without censorship of any type. Many blogs give their readers a way to comment on their topics. Still others are created solely to create debate or generate discussion.

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.

Authors can earn income from their blogs. The primary method for making your web site profitable is simply advertising. Large numbers of bloggers offer space for advertisements on their site in exchange for a little money. There are also online programs that manage multiple advertising campaigns that bloggers can enroll in, and that provide content-targeted ads which generate money for the blogger for viewership.

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.

If you begin to wonder, what is a blog? You now know it is not a chance collection of someoneas random thoughts; it can be an educational experience, an amusing interlude, or simply mentally stimulating. A blog can generate money for its author, and if popular enough, it can provide its author with full-time employment.

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