What exactly is a blog?
December 12, 2007 by Bob
I talk a lot about blogs here, and how I make money from blogs. Maybe you aren’t quite sure what a blog is, though. If you want to know more, check the video below.
For me, a blog is a website! Using a blog platform (like Wordpress) just makes it easier to manage and update your website. I have sites that I don’t even write on, but I use Wordpress to set them up and make them look the way I want. After setting it up, I just leave it alone until or unless I want to change it in some way. Some, sites, though I never change! Is that a blog? What do you think? My take is that it is not a blog, but rather a website that uses blog software for management. However, this site is a blog, but I’d also say it’s a website! Confusing?
Hi Bob,
I feel the only really confusing part is perpetuated by folks who think that “personal news” and writing that mainly consists of diary style accounts often organized by time are new … “21st century”. Some very well known people have been “blogging” and in many cases “blogging for dollars” long before the ugly word “blog” was made up and long before there was any purpose-built software. You might want to look in on and old freind of mine, Dr. Jerry Pournelle who was “blogging” in print for computer magazines back when the “Internet” was still a closed military system not available to the public.
http://www.jerrypournelle.com
In general it’s best to say that anything found in a web browser by entering a URL is a “website” … no questions about that, I hope.
Any website may include the features of a “blog”, and a “blog” may be created and maintained with any form of software, but of course most usually with a specialized blogging software like WordPress
To those who haven’t moved into the online earning world yet because of all these definitions and differences in terms … forget learning the niceties … just do it, doing anything is 100% better than doing nothing.
Hi Dave Starr - I couldn’t agree with you more! These days, there are so many ways to make money online! It is easy to do, and doesn’t require a Doctorate! As a matter of fact, it doesn’t matter what your education level is! Anybody can make at least some money online these days. Like you said, doing something is 100% better than doing nothing!
Hi Bob, I have been reading your posts for several months now and have taken your advice and set up my own website with a blog. It’s really basic but I am quite happy with it as a first attempt.
The question I have is regarding search engine listings though. I appear to be in google.com and google.co.uk but not in google.com.ph.
I bought the .com name as you suggested but I created the site from the UK. However, my target audience is in the philippines so how can I get it listed in all the .ph search engines?
Kind Regards
Phil
Hi Phil - If you are listed in the Google database for any country, you should be listed in all of their country specific sites. I just did a search on Google.com.ph for your site, and indeed it is listed there. If you go to google.com.ph and enter “site:slashjam.com” you will get a complete listing of all instances of your site in the Google Philippine database. Only catch is this - your Search position may be different in each country.
In short, the best way to get listed in search engines, and to improve the listings ranking, is to simply provide quality content, and get other sites to link to you.
According to my non-technie friend, a blog is a website where people talk a lot of useless stuff. I guess she is right.
Hi Carlos - Ha ha… Your friend is smarter than I am, I think!
hi bob,
I’ve been planning to start my blog few years back, and is it possible to use wordpress with microsoft windows? because i read in your blog that i should use Linux, i need some clarifications. I hope you can help me with the steps and proper procedure, Thank you very much. You’ve been a blessing to the confused and newbies in the net.
Marie
Hi Marie - I think you might have mis-interpreted something that I said. You can use wordpress with any operating system. Regardless of your operating system, Windows, Mac, Linux, etc. as long as you can browse the web, you can use wordpress.