Blogging

>> How To Create A Successful Blog

Do you have a great idea for a blog that you are itching to get off the ground? Not sure where you should start?

Don’t worry – that is a common situation to be in. And it’s why you should focus on planning ahead, so your blog gets started on the right foot and has a strong base from which to develop in the future.

>> Understanding and Reading a Blog

With millions of bloggers online and even more readers, it is assumed that everyone knows how to read a blog, or how they work. In case you don't, this short article will describe the process for beginners. This article is for the readers of blogs, not the writers.

There are two categories of blogs. The first is the traditional web log where a someone shares his/her online discoveries. The second is the web diary where a person shares his or her thoughts of the day. This article applies to both types of blogs, but focuses mainly on the web log style.

Blog Elements

Layout
Blogs are laid out as follows, with the lastest post on the top. Very few blogs violate this model since it earmarks a blog and the mechanism of the software, such as Wordpress, encourages this by default. So unlike a diary where you would read from the beginning to the end, with a blog you read from the end to the beginning.

The Post Element
The blog post is also fairly standardized with some minor idiosyncrasies based on the various kinds of blogging software systems and the options chosen within those systems. Generally most blog posts do not stray too much from the model I'm going to describe below.

Generally speaking the post consists of nine possible sub elements: headline, link to primary source, summary, commentary, image, pull quote, permalink, comments link, comments (if any). Any of these except the headline can be optional including the link to primary source if a summary or commentary is provided. Some bloggers do nothing more than use a headline (which may be lifted from the primary source) and a link to the primary source with no commentary or anything. This is very barebones, but not uncommon.

The Permalink
This the link to the specific database location of this specific post. In other words it is the URL of the post. You would use this URL (permalink) if you wanted to forward the post to a friend or reference it in another part of your web site.

The Headline
This is the title of the post and usually presented automatically in a large type face. Some people write their own, others use what they are linking to.

The Main Link
If the blog post is related to something that has been read, i.e. a survey, some technology news etc then normally a link will be added to the primary source. As a reader, this is great for you to obtain more information.

The Summary and/or Commentary
This usually appears right after the link but can be scattered throughout a longer post. These elements can be left out altogether too. They should pertain to the post but some experimentalists disregard this rule.

The Image
Is optional and many bloggers have few, if any images or others may group them all into albums. The blogger may or may not choose to caption the pictures.

The Blockquote
In publishing parlance this would be called a pull quote or call-out. This is an excerpt from the item being blogged. It might be a paragraph from a newspaper article, for example. It is usually offset in some way so it appears different from the rest of the text.

The Comments Link
Some blogs will incorporate all the comments on the main blog page creating an ongoing never-ending discussion. Most blogs hide the comments on the permalink page. Clicking on comments usually brings you to the editing box on that page. Some bloggers disable comments since they have become a source of spam.

The Comments Element
This refers to reader comments not summary/comments done by the blogger. The comments are part of the individual posts and often require either a registration or moderation. The comments editor is straightforward on all blogging systems and allows the reader to add their views on the post. It might just be a simple comment like, very good article, thank you or if you highly disagree with the post content, you might write a lengthy reply.

The Collateral
These are the automated features that come with the blogging software and are fairly universal from blog to blog. Again blog readers expect to find and use many of these elements. They include an archive list, a calendar, a search box, a blogroll, an "about" page, a login page for members and blog categories (if any). Most blogs also have an RSS feed listed someplace for users who like to receive information via an RSS reader.