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Category: Blogging

  • Selection of a Blogging Platform to Fit YOU




    For your unique blog

    The selection of a blogging platform will probably be one of the most important decisions you will have to make as a blogger; because the right platform can make blogging such a smooth and enjoyable writing experience, while the wrong platform can surely make this popular online activity more of a puzzling and frustrating chore. And since the program used to blog with is such a powerful part of an individual’s blogging prowess, it is well worth an investment of whatever time it takes to find a platform that provides the most ideal balance between a user-friendly interface and a flexible framework that allows you, the blogger, to make your blog look and feel unique.

    That having been said, it is also true that finding the right platform isn’t always easy, even though a little contemplation coupled with a bit of research could put you on your way to finding the perfect blogging platform for your purposes. Let’s use video blogging, for example, as a blogging type that might best demonstrate the importance of a blogging platform; especially since video blogging is a relatively new and popular technology. Video blogging has a lot of advantages over text-based blogging, can very effectively grab the attention of web surfers, and can make people much more likely to become excited about the blog’s content because of its dynamic nature; but only when it’s presented properly.

    Ease-of-use versus customization

    But, the wrong blogging platform can make a video blog look terrible, fail to play and get stuck in frames just like the old malfunctioning TVs used work (or not work) when their antennas broke. It is true that video blogs require a lot of digital tools and resources in order to get the best results; including a considerable amount of server space, more time to process and upload a video file, and more time to load. So already there are a number of issues inherent with video blogs which place even more importance on making sure that the blogging platform you choose is supportive of all types of blogging, from text blogging to photo and video blogging.

    Deciding what your priorities are as they pertain to ease-of-use versus customization, it is important to point out that the blogging platforms most adaptable to high customization, like Movable Type, are a bit more difficult to use than very automated platforms like WordPress. So if you are new to blogs and to internet technology, you might want to sacrifice the ability to create a custom background design, or to integrate a unique font into your template, in order to find a program that will be easy for you to use. On the other hand, if you are a veteran web designer with knowledge of HTML or JavaScript, you will probably find the limitations of a user-friendly platform to be frustrating.

    Read between the (reviewer’s) lines

    Keep in mind that there is really not such a thing as a platform that is objectively the best blogging platform, because every blogger has unique needs, and the blogging movement is more about individuality than anything else, so it makes plenty of sense that there would be many different platforms available that are designed to meet the needs of different kinds of individuals undertaking different kinds of projects. But this diversity is a good thing because it means that you will almost certainly be able to find a program that suits your level of technical aptitude.

    However, the fact that no two bloggers require the same things from a blogging platform can certainly make your search for the right platform a bit tricky; so when you are reading reviews of different platforms, try to keep your priorities in mind and do your best to take the reviewer’s viewpoint into consideration. In other words, a negative review written by an accomplished software designer who complains that a popular platform is too limited may tell you that the platform in question is ideal for a beginning blogger.

    What’s your UBR?

    Simply put, there is no such thing as “one size fits all” where blogging platforms are concerned, so instead of looking for the “best” platform, look for the best platform for your specific criteria. It’s similar to many of the conversations me and my buddy, Douglas, has had over the years about why he finds Joomla so easy, smooth and straightforward to work with, but do not like WordPress and can’t do the things with WP that he often does with Joomla; while I, on the other hand, prefer WP to Joomla for all the same reasons. So take the time to look for the blogging platform you’ll most comfortable with, which simultaneously meets your unique blogging requirements (UBRs). Good luck!

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  • A Glimpse Into the World of Professional Blogging




    Attraction to pro blogging

    as a vocation with a lot of potential for entrepreneurs who have a basic understanding of today’s innovative Web technology, as well as discipline, motivation and insight into one or more topics about which to write. The number of so-called pro bloggers who earn reasonable sums of money from their blogs are small; and still smaller is the group of bloggers who make a living entirely from blogging. Kimberly Palmer, a senior editor for U.S. News Money and author of the book, The Economy of You, citing a Pro blogger survey in her How to Earn Money as a Professional Blogger article, wrote:

    “…most bloggers earn less than $100 per month, and 3 in 10 earn less than $10 per month. Only 16 percent of the 4,000 respondents say they make more than $2,500 a month.” That having been said, however, the number of their blog enough to supplement an existing income have increased since 2009 when Ms. Palmer’s article was written; and the pro blogging community is growing at a rate which can be described as moderate, but it is difficult to say whether this trend will continue since competition for online advertising dollars has increased at a much faster rate.

    Many Web users and marketers dream of entering , even while there are some who happily devote an hour or more each day to their blog with the ever present wish that they could earn some kind of financial reward for all of their work. But those who yearn to monetize their blogs must know and utilize existing models for making money from their blogging activity, the most popular of which is to sell advertising space through Google’s AdSense program, or the less popular method of selling advertising space to one or more companies that wish to reach the bloggers’ audience.

    A self-supporting blogosphere

    Indeed, the number of people who do just by selling space on their blogs comprises a very small percentage of an otherwise vibrant online marketplace; but this has not been a deterrent to aspiring pro bloggers, simply because the attraction of this vocation and the lifestyle it it supports appeal to many. Aspiring pro bloggers need not be dissuaded as they will find it comforting news that bloggers – pro, amateur and blogging hobbyists – are very supportive of each other in the sense that most of the people who read weblogs are bloggers themselves.

    The self-supporting characteristic of this blogosphere is due – in part – to the fact that people who use blogging technology on a daily basis are most likely to be interested in what other writers are doing with the medium. And this is a fact that begins to explain why those who succeed in the world of professional blogging are mostly individuals who have devoted themselves almost entirely to learning about, talking about, and writing about blogging. More than any other topic, pro bloggers turn their attention to ; and a lot of pro bloggers make their topic of blogging the stunningly self-reflexive focus of their blogs on an ongoing basis.

    Of course, professional blogging is destined to become much more complicated in the future than it is today; but it must be said that the largest audiences and make the most money are mostly concerned with investigating the blogging movement as well as offering advice to amateur bloggers. However, as the kinds of people who regularly read blogs change, and the demographics of bloggers expand and diversify as blogging software becomes more user-friendly, it is very likely that the world of pro blogging will begin to reflect these changes.

    Pro blogging in flux

    Indeed, it is very difficult to predict exactly what kinds of blogs will be five or ten years from now; but the world of pro blogging is one of constant change, and continues to be in a state of flux – not unlike the overall blogosphere and the larger Internet community – which is part of what makes it so exciting, appealing and inviting. If you are an aspiring pro blogger, it might be helpful for morale to heed the words of pro blogger Jim Wang, who is quoted as offering this advice: ‘Be patient. “It takes years to get to the point where you can earn a living off the site,” a sentiment which echoed by other successful pro bloggers who know what it takes to achieve pro blogging success.

  • Defining the Blog – From Text to Corporate




    The blog defined

    For many years, blogs (weblogs) were defined as text-based websites that kept records of days, similar to a captain’s log on a sailing ship. However, this started to change as the group of people who kept blogs became more diverse. The more bloggers began to explore the limits of their medium and of the technology that made it possible, the more the boundaries of what could be called a “blog” expanded. That having been said, the definition of blogging is something which has been very much in flux for many years, as new technologies that appeared on a seemingly daily basis, redefined what a blog was, what a blog could be, and what a blog should be capable of doing.

    Blogging has evolved, taking with it the manner in which it is defined, but among the most challenging types of blogs to have emerged is the corporate blog which, for a significant period of time, struggled to gain legitimacy and acceptance in the blogosphere. In recent years however, corporate blogging has become more mainstream and has gained prominence in an otherwise individual-based medium which often has more to do with the day-to-day activities and personal experiences of an individual blogger than with a cold, “it’s only business” approach of the corporate entity; but there is little doubt that corporate blogging is here to stay, as we will discuss further in the following paragraphs.

    Corporate blogging, once considered a controversial marketing tool that might have created more problems than solutions, has turned out to be the kind of advertising strategy with which businesses can derive maximum benefits from their Web marketing efforts. The most practical description of corporate blogging, as indicated in the Brafton website article titled, Corporate Blogging, “is the practice of creating content that addresses industry updates, expert tips or best practices and company news from the perspective of a brand.” The article goes on to say that Corporate Blogging “is used by businesses of all sizes as a means of content marketing.”

    The corporate blog

    In view of the percieved benefits promised by this method of Web marketing, many corporations, companies and other businesses that were in search of ways to capitalize on the blogging trend, made a calculated determination that a great way to ride the blogging wave is to keep a blog on their corporate website. These unique blogs are often created to appeal to a particular demographic that the company needs to attract; and content published to such blogs may at times have quite a lot to do with activities of the corporation, while at other times, it may have very little to do with the company itself.

    A corporate blog will often focus on the kinds of content likely to attract a desired type of Web surfer even if that content is not related to the product or service provided by the company itself, because there are other benefits (advantages?) that can be gained. Such advantages might include, boosting the business’ web presence, which can be derived through one or more of the following coveted features:

    • SEO (Search Engine Optimization);
    • Visitor Engagement;
    • Brand Awareness;
    • Conversions;
    • Thought Leadership;
    • Lead Generation

    Some bloggers feel that corporate blogging is a kind of validation for the blogging movement, and shows that this exciting new medium has really infiltrated the mainstream, while other bloggers consider the kind of viral marketing that corporate blogs practice to be unethical or distasteful. In any case, having watched the evolution of corporate blogs and whether how survived and proliferated the Web, instead of succumbing to failure, neglect and extinction served as some interesting and insightful lessons into the habits, preferences and spending disciplines of the modern-day consumer.

    A constantly changing blog

    As enhancements to the growth and expansion of today’s blogging, there is an abundance of new blog types which include photo blogs, as well as video blogs; and mobile blogging devices may well change the definition of blogging entirely by making it possible for bloggers to create new kinds of posts. And as more companies hire writers to keep blogs with the sole purpose of creating a positive buzz about their brand, bloggers across the globe will debate about whether these manufactured blogs are really worthy of the name. But between all of these different forces that are constantly expanding and reshaping the blogosphere, it is difficult to imagine that the definition of what is, and is not a blog, will ever remain fixed for very long.

  • Technology, Platform Choice & Photo Blogging


    Photo blogging appeal

    There is a significant number of people on the Web who believe that photo blogging is the most exciting kind of blogging that exists; and while building a photo blog – and maintaining it – is no more difficult than creating and updating a text-based blog, many people feel that the internet’s high speed and full-color technology reaches the pinnacle of its appeal with the transmission of images. But what may be the most appealing aspect of this technology is the ease with which bloggers of all skill levels can upload photographs to their blogs on a daily, weekly, monthly or even occasional basis.

    For those who like photography, photo blogging is a great way to highlight self expression while reaching viewers in an emotionally charged and aesthetically engaging way; and surfing photo blogs can also be helpful in getting a whole new perspective on this global society in which we live. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the selection of a blogging platform could play as important a role in photo blogging as shopping for the right camera. Choosing a blogging platform, whether it is free or requires payment, can feel overwhelming based solely on the many options to choose from.

    There are several large blog-hosting platforms that dominate the blogosphere, but there are also less popular, smaller platforms a photo blogger can take a look at. But whether you decide to join up with an established platform like Blogger, WordPress or Technorati, or you choose to sign on with a smaller, relatively new venture depends on what your priorities are. It is certainly reasonable to assume that, for most bloggers – text-based, photo/video-based or otherwise – reliability will be among the most important reasons for choosing, and might therefore be the best reason to opt for a large and well known blogging site.

    Thematic content

    Of course it should come as no surprise that, many image blog owners are also photographers by trade, although the popularity of photo blogging continues to be very high among amateur shutterbugs, hobbyists and photography enthusiasts; and it seems self-evident that a majority of the most popular photo blogs have gained that popularity because the pictures on them are of the highest artistic caliber. If you guessed that a lot of the people who run these visually striking blogs are graduates of prestigious art schools and possess impressive professional portfolios, you would be right.

    However, some of the most well-known and frequently visited photo blogs are as notable for their concepts as they are for the pictures themselves. Some popular photo blogs, like the popular blog, “Cute Overload,” (this blog announced on January 18, 2016 that it was closing down) which features picture after picture of adorable animals, are more about the thematic content of the pictures than they are about the style in which the snapshots were and are taken. Keep in mind also that photo blogs, like many other Web-based entities, have established forums to display the work of highly skilled artisans whose work range from playful collections of curiosity to more serious photo-journalistic work.

    This shows that photo blogging is a truly diverse form; and the fact that photo blogs are so easy to build as well as to update makes this kind of visual communication very democratic, while enabling people (bloggers) at all skill levels to become a part of the global conversation about the nature and value of photography today. But whether you are an artist or hobbyist who wants to create a photo blog; or you are just somebody who enjoys learning about new places and things, spending some time looking at the most popular photography blogs on the internet can be a very rewarding endeavor.

    The world via photo blogs

    You can travel to another place or another time by viewing pictures of faraway locations and long-ago eras; and you can see your own neighborhood with fresh eyes by discovering how local artists have photographed (depicted?) the town or city in which you live. Photo blogging enables people to communicate all of these things plus a lot more; and this makes it a very exciting part of the modern blogosphere. If you agree that the best thing about web technology is the capacity to help people reach each other in a very personal way from across great distances, then you may also agree that in many ways, a photo blog is the most successful kind of web site.

  • Mobile Blogging: A Cutting Edge Phenomenon!


    The rise of moblogs

    Mobile blogging, the most exciting phenomenon to have swept the blogosphere since the World Wide Web was created in 1999, is one of the reasons so many bloggers are attracted to this activity; in addition to the enjoyment they get from it and the convenience of being able to make frequent updates to keep their visitors up to speed with current trends, issues and other relevant matters. Mobile blogs – also referred to as “moblogs,” – take blogging to a previously unreachable level by allowing users to post events literally as it happen.

    This new wave of moblogs via the seemingly non-stop activity of mobloggers, keep web users up to date with matters of importance – both good and bad – as they occur all over the world, thereby helping to make global communication faster and more accurate. Many people feel that the limitations of traditional (text) blogging have a lot to do with geography which – after all – is evidenced by simple physics, since the degree to which a blog could have been made current was directly related to how quickly the blogger returned home and boot up in order to update it; and the limitations were many.

    However, similar to how creation of the Web helped to fuel Internet growth to new and astronomical heights post Web/Internet integration, mobile blogging was the beginning of a thrilling new era when web-based communication could occur spontaneously from any location. Moblogging devices meant that there was almost nowhere on the planet which remained off-limits for bloggers once technology caught up with the desire of bloggers to expand their market to a global audience. But there was a time, not very long ago, when such expansion may have seemed unattainable.

    Desire outpaced technology

    The first moblog technology became available over fifteen years ago, but it is only the past five to six years that mobile web devices were made user-friendly enough to appeal to most consumers. As camera phones and other mobile technology become more popular, an increasing number of bloggers were getting away from their desks and hitting the streets. Moblogging was becoming much more widespread than it was in previous cycles, and mobloggers were quickly attracting a lot of attention from the blogging community.

    It is clear today (circa 2016) that moblogs have become a dominant force in the blogosphere, and for all intensive purposes, is expected to maintain such dominance for many years to come. So yes, by all implications moblogs are here to stay, if for no other reason than logistics; because, as indicated earlier, mobile devices make it possible to blog from the actual sites where events are unfolding, which is probably the most compelling reason why mobile blogging had – and still has – so many thrilling and compelling characteristics to have revolutionized the blogosphere.

    Moblogs fueling Web growth

    Consider for a moment that a moblogger with a camera phone can post blog entries from an auto show, ski event, or even at the foot of a podium during a presidential speech; or even from the stands during those final moments of the world series. These real life instances enable bloggers to experience the same real time thrills that live television coverage provides, but in a more democratic medium. The combination of mobility and individual control that moblogging provides places mobloggers on the cutting edge of modern communications technology, and it is hard to imagine that the number and prestige of moblogs will not continue to grow for decades into the future.

  • The Documentary Quality of Personal Blogging


    Blogs as documentaries

    There are plenty of blogs on the Web dealing with a wide variety of topics and vastly diverse functions; but many blogs primarily catalog of the life experiences of their owners; so from this perspective it can be said that personal blogging, when discussed in terms of genre, probably falls more frequently in the category of documentary than any other genre. And even though there are quite a number of blogs that focus on the collection of poetry and other forms of creative writing, the vast majority of personal blogs are most likely to be categorized as documentaries.

    When you think about it over the span of many years, making a documentary was meant to be an objective act of reporting the sights and sounds that the filmmaker, writer or photographer encountered. However, in contemporary times there was movement towards embracing that degree of subjectivity inherent in the documentary form. This means that modern documentaries often reflected the distinctive voice and sensibility of their creators, making today’s documentaries to revolve around personality, thereby – more often than not – blurring the lines between documentary and memoir.

    Blogs fall somewhere between these two genres, muddying the distinctions even further, an indication that the personal blog, documentary and memoir are now irrevocably intertwined for better or for worse. Although few bloggers think of themselves as making documentaries in any formal sense, every time someone sits down in front of a computer and types up a record of their day, s/he is documenting a personal historical moment. Examples of this kind of blogging are those things we take for granted in our daily lives.

    Fascination-driven

    Things like the way we use specific modes of transportation, or the kinds of products we buy, which may seem quite fascinating to people who live outside our environments, and are therefore fascinated with our lot is at the heart of many documentary projects. When people think about blogging, documentary is not very likely to be the first description they envision, but a few decades down the road it is very likely that todays blogs will be seen primarily as very subjective documentaries of our era. People of tomorrow will almost certainly look to the blogs of today for insight into our historical moment.

    Documentary may not be the aim of most people who spend time posting their thoughts and ideas on the Web; but in some ways, the documentary aspect of blogging is more of a side effect than a primary goal. However, the fact that so many people are interested in publishing these public Web diaries shows that personal blogs are about more than just rumination. The fact that bloggers are so stimulated by, and interested in, sharing their ideas with each other reinforces the idea that personal blogs are – in some ways – documentaries meant for public consumption.

    A perspective-based niche

    An undeniable truism is that documentaries appeal to people who are curious about alternate ways of life, and many people who regularly read personal blogs written by others are looking for this same kind of new perspective. However, this is not to say that vocations such as poetry and other forms of creative writing are deemed less appealing to blogging audiences worldwide; but rather, that each niche commands the attention of a specific section of the marketplace, with documentaries occupying the single largest share.