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You must have heard the term “blog” or “weblog” and you’re probably thinking “what is a blog and what’s it all about?” Let’s make this clear, when I was in college, a lot of people talked about “blogs” and “blogging”, but back then I never knew exactly what it was, never mind how to go about creating a blog or knowing which were the best blog hosting sites! I had absolutely no idea…
Fortunately, I’ve now published and managed many different blogs, so I can truly say I know what blogging is (check out our free blogging course at the button on the top of the page if you want help starting one).
Before I give you an in-depth explanation of blogs and blogging, let’s see other definitions for that:
Definition of a blog according to Wikipedia…
You might also like:
According to Harvard Law School website…
You’ve probably read blogs more than once, to be honest, you’re actually reading one now.
But let’s get back to the point. What exactly is a blog?
Table of Contents
So what is a blog?
A blog is very similar to a website. I would say that a blog is a diary/journal that is (mostly) maintained by one person – blogger. Usually, blogs are being updated quite often (once a day, once a week, once a month). Blogs can be private, but most of them are available on the internet for others to see.
Blogs have certain topics. My blog’s topic is “blogging” and “how to start one” – I’m helping beginners to start a blog, get more visitors and much more… BUT, it can also have several other topics. Bloggers are usually passionate about a specific topic thus they’ll create one.
Blog posts are the fundamental of a blog. Every blog on the internet consists of different blog posts written by the blogger. Blog posts can contain content (obviously!), videos, images, bullet-points, different headings and so on.
Blogs (and blog posts) can be shared on social networks (Twitter, FaceBook, Google+) and people can leave comments under the blog posts in order to start meaningful conversations.
Blogs can have a LOT of visitors. When your blog has enough posts and it starts to become popular, you’ll start receiving traffic from other sites, social networks and even from search engines.
Definitions that are tied with a blog
Blog definition (n.)
Blogger definition (n.)
Blog post meaning (n.)
An article or writing that is inside the blog. For example, the article you are currently reading is a “blog post” that is written for my blog.
Blog meaning (v.)
Blogging meaning (v.)
What do professional bloggers think about the blog meaning?
To make this post more compelling, I talked to 9 very popular bloggers who are doing well and asked them one simple question:
“What is a blog? Please explain it in 3-5 sentences”
As you will see, the answers are not the same as those produced by editors on Wikipedia or Harvard Law School.
… anyhow, here are the answers:
Blog definition according to the pros
“A blog is a channel where you share your thoughts. Think of it as a public journal, diary, or even book. You can share personal thoughts, quick updates, or even educate others on what you learned. What you publish is up to you, but I recommend that everyone try to at least blog for 6 months. Why? Because it is a great way to get feedback from others. In which people can leave comments and give you advice.”
“For me, a blog is more than just a place to post new content on a regular (or, lately, semi-regular) basis. It's a hub for people to share their thoughts around my contributions to the industry (in my case, startups & marketing), and a home for anyone to discover new ideas about those topics.”
Check out his awesome post “21 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic“.
UPDATE: For a more recent article, check out Nadya’s post.
“A blog is whatever you make it! This can be a personal journal to share stories about life, food, travels and other adventures with your close friends and family. Or it can be a booming website with the community and design of the NY Times. It's up to you. The point isn't what, it's when. Try to ditch the perfectionism and start blogging today, and you'll soon be learning more than you could have ever imagined.”
Not sure about your blog’s purpose? Read his 3 Reasons You Need a Compelling Purpose for Your Blog.
“A blog is a magnet that attracts your potential customers if you write high-quality relevant content. Once you have relevant traffic you can then start working on the conversion of this traffic. A blog is also a good reason to learn more about your industry. As you are always looking for new angles to write about you read more and when you're writing you research more about the topic. So it's a fantastic education tool. Finally, it is a great tool for networking. To be really successful with blogging you need to build relationships with a lot of people so you need to network.”
Ian is a social media enthusiast who blogs at RazorSocial.com.
“A blog is so much more than just a written diary or journal these days. Now a blog is a place for sharing knowledge and views, and for connecting with people. It's a place that can become the entire foundation of your online world and a key to unlocking incredible opportunities.”
Corbett created a blogging course named “Blog that matters“.
“Blogs are the new resume, the new business card, the new marketing brochure or advertising billboard and they’re quickly becoming a source of excellent income for many.”
"How we think of blogs has changed a lot in the years. I used to think of a blog as just an online journal to put our thoughts – nothing more and typically they would only be read by friends & family (or nobody apart from a strange stalker). Fast forward to today and our perceptions have completely changed because blogs can be used to expose our thoughts and opinions to the masses. Now we have the tools and technology to make a serious change. If you do it right – a blog can be a tool to drive serious change, build yourself as an authority or build a community of like-minded people to connect with."
Read about his blogging tips at BloggingWizard.com.
“Writing is organized thinking,” as they say, so a blog is just thought leadership at scale. That term slightly annoys me, but I do believe the sentiment to be true! The wonderful thing about blogs is that they offer a universally accessible way to publish such thoughts in segments. Books, essays, and letters (I'm fond of Letters from a Stoic) have always had similar properties, but none had the technological advantage of being able to host such thoughts on a perpetually available medium that can be accessed by anyone, from anywhere. When you think of it that way, blogs really are a special part of the internet. :)”
Gregory reveals how to build blog success with psychology.
“A blog is whatever YOU want it to be or whatever you make it be. It is all about you, your dreams and your aspirations. It is a very flexible content publishing platform that allows you to showcase your passion, your knowledge, your experience, and skills, and find an audience that is looking for someone like you to help them out, inform them, educate them and/or entertain them.”
Marko has a YouTube channel, where you can learn the nuts and bolts about blogging.
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What is blogging? The history and trends
Unofficially, the first blog ever was made by Justin Hall (links.net) in 1994. At that time, no-one actually knew the word “blog” or “weblog”. Actually, Justin’s web property was more or less of a simple website, but it looked like a blog. He posted regularly (still doing it!) about the “stuff” he found on the internet and it was sort of “personal diary”.
The term “weblog” was first (officially) announced in 1997 by Jorn Barger. In 1999, weblog was shortened to blog. At this point, some folks (who had computers and internet access) started blogging, still, it wasn’t popular at all…
Then came WordPress (in 2003) and it changed a lot… Why so? WordPress started to offer FREE blogging platform. A lot of people have found it useful (including me) since it’s really easy to install, maintain and use. More than 75% of the blogs are using WordPress blogging platform.
Let’s see the search trends on Google about blogs, blogging and WordPress:
“What is a blog?” vs “How to start a blog” –
“WordPress” vs “Blogger” (most popular blogging platforms)
What can we say about that graph? For me, it seems that blogs are still quite popular and thousands of blogs are being published on a daily basis.
Currently, in 2020, there are more than 500,000,000 blogs on the internet!
Why do people blog?
Blogs are made and used for many different reasons. I’ll explain that to you shortly. But in the meantime, let’s have a look at all the different reasons people blog.
- To express themselves
- To delivery valuable information and news to other people on the internet
- To make money (Yes, some people are making a lot of money with blogging)
- Self-promotion
- To connect with like-minded people
- To gain knowledge
- To find a better job
- To improve writing skills
- etc…
Your turn...
So what is a blog? Do you now understand what they are, or is there still something confusing? Leave a comment below and I’ll explain it to you once again! 🙂
By the way, if you really liked the idea of a blog and you want to start one, feel free to head over to my homepage where I explain how to set up a blog on your own. There’s no need for technical programming or HTML, so everyone can have a blog:)
Related articles:
FAQs on blogs, blogging and bloggers
What is a blog?
What is blogging?
What is a blog post?
What is a blogger?
Nice and well written blog post. I especially liked the blogging “timeline”.
However, I wanted to chime in give my own explanation for a blog. Here it is:
“For me, blog is website or platform where you can share and publish everything YOU want. In addition to that, you can also make money with blogs and grow your audience over time.”
-Mick
Hi Karen,
Enjoyed your post! And I am still very appreciative of the support you give to others, especially beginners (like me !)
For me a blog is letting the world come inside your mind and heart without being afraid. A way to share yourself with others in a way you may have always wanted to but never felt you could and a way to allow others to share themselves with you. It makes you feel a part of the world. At least that is what happened to me.
Thanks again Karen!
Great explanation, Pat.
Your blog looks great, too!
Nice views. Liked your post. Neil Patel is awesone btw. Feel inspired to be here.
I enjoyed reading experts views of their explanations of what a blog is.
I’ve just begun blogging but it has already changed the way I think about things. I created a travel blog and it has made me more interested in learning about the history, culture and people of the places I’m going to travel to instead of the sites I’ll be seeing. Blogging is a way to expand your knowledge and share it with others.
Oh that was a cool post! Inspirational for someone like me ofcourse!! 🙂 Blog, according to me is something like a diary, which was manual now digital. The exact transition of a diary!! 😀
Hi Karen,
While I haven’t started my blog as of yet I love the way youre keeping me informed and the many different lessons I have learned thus far. ..
What I do want to say about what a blog means to me is that its a platform for me to express my feelings and possibly the feelings of others. I want to start a blog that reaches out to others who have a small voice and want to make it even bigger. Alot of times people are afraid of what others might think so why not start something where its just my blog but a blog for the people. ..lol sounding like Obama here for a second
Hi Karen,
Thoroughly enjoyed your post.
With the facts and figures you started with, it gave me a fair background of the entire ‘art’ as I would call it of blogging.
Interesting.
Thanks Netra 🙂
Hi Dave,
Connecting Linkedin with a blog is definitely a great idea. I’m glad you are doing well.
Hi Karen,
I have recently started a blog (thanks to many of your tips) and for me it is a way to share information with like minded people and to bring some new information to people that are interested. My blog is about combining psychology and nutrition so I hope it will help people to make changes to improve their happiness and well being. I also hope to use it as a platform to grow my own business from.
I am one of the new follower of your blog. What I love the most about it? You explain it so simply. For newbies like me, I don’t see any reason we can’t get our blog starting.
That’s nice to hear 😀
I’m glad you enjoy it.
Hi Karen
Awesome post and blog. Thanks for letting me know about it.
I have been blogging for 4 years now. I started my blog as a place to brand myself. I actually have two blogs these days.
I love the perspective of the various guests you have here.
Well done!
Sue
I have been reading blogs for a while and have just started my own, been thinking about it for sometime and then decided to bite the bullet and see how it goes. I found your blog very helpful and your site, also your emails about blogging. All really useful information for new bloggers, so thanks for that.
To me a blog is a sharing of information that interests you, with like minded people around the world.
It is interesting that in all blogs about setting up blogs people say have a topic/main theme for your blog, mine however is more random more a lifestyle blog, so I will be interested to see whether anything happens with it since it doesn’t focus on one topic.
I’ve been wanting to find a home for my writing for a long time. Blogging is the answer to the challenge of finding a venue or manner in which to write on a regular basis with no limitations. Now that I’ve pulled the trigger, and set up my blog, I’m developing my writing muscle and finding my niche. Honestly, I’m faking it until I become it! Act like a writer, become a writer. And each time I post, the more I feel like I’m finding my voice. My hope is to someday have something valuable to convey, and be that place where people can visit to take a break from their chaotic lives and ponder ideas and opinions with me, big and small.
Thanks for all you share. Your generosity is appreciated, and I look forward to the next post!
Hi Karen,
Thanks a million for this, it really is very helpful for newbees that are trying to start one and just cant get the hang of things, but the information here seems pretty straight forward and easy to understand regardless of age and technical computer ability, which is hard to find these days.
The reason I started my blog was to be able to connect with people and ofcourse to let loose the mayhem that is my mind, I have been into writing for a long time and normally do it on paper but I’ve found that having a blog lets other like minded people get a peek at what I’m about, I also started this blog to be able to write some short stories to help better my skills as a writer. I find freedom and some level of personal contentment in just letting lose.
Again I appreciate the time you have been taking to teach people about blogging and how to improve their reach and also eventually be able to earn an income via this exciting tool, cheers and thanks again.. you are officially Awesome..!!!!!!
Thanks for your awesome words, Neha!
Good luck with your blog.
Hi Glenda,
Thanks for your answer. If I were you, I would go with a blog rather than a website. If you want to know more about the differences, check this article: https://www.shoutmeloud.com/difference-between-blog-vs-website.html
Karen
Karen,
I really enjoyed this blog about blogging. I’m interested because I love to write. I’d never considering creating a blog seriously because I thought it would be difficult. Your information here (links, expert opinions, etc.) tells me that sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t but mostly, it’s worth the effort either way if blogging fills a void for you. The timeline was VERY interesting, too. What is a blog? For me, an opportunity to express myself with like-minded people.
Thanks a lot.
I think I’d like to try this out, and I’m so happy to have someone spell it out in layman’s terms. The information is great!! I tried clicking on the “like” button, but sadly it didn’t work. Anyway, I do have a couple of things in mind to blog about and I like that the price for WordPress is so affordable. I’m still not sure however if what I write about will necessarily be of interest to anyone else. And yet again, I know that there will be some interest. Very confusing.
Wish me luck! 🙂
Hi Kelly,
Many thanks for the awesome words. If you need any help, feel free to email me.
Good luck!
Karen
I really like Gregory Ciotti’s explanation about what blogging is.
Need to share it with some of my friends!
Thanks!
Hey there,
I really like this part “What professional bloggers think about blogs?”, something never saw anywhere before. Excellent Bro.
Thanks for dropping by Subh!
So what do you personally think about blogs?
Well written good post. Blogging is always an option for those who love to write. Over time, Blogging has become a good way to make money. One good advantage is that, Google love blogs due to the freshness of content.
Hi,
First of all i’d like to admire you on maintaining such a clean and simple blog design.
This is a comprehensive article and you’ve presented in a very informative way. Every newbie blogger can get benefited from this guide.
Keep writing!
Hey!
This is a great article and i can’t stop myself from appreciating you on this.
I’m sure that i’ve learned blogging tips from this article. You have covered all the actionable post and elaborated them very nicely.
Thanks,
Ramesh
Hi,
Thanks for a great post. For me, blogging is a way to express myself. And not just that. I truly believe that bloggers are intellectual because of the amount of research involved during post creation. More you read more you can play with 🙂
Thanks Brother, now I can start my blog.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this. I wasn’t sure exactly, and now I am completely aware of what a blog “weblog” is.
Thanks to everyone who posted their thoughts on blogging also.
Very helpful article on blogging!
Hi Karen,
I started to read because I have to study for my exam but now I honestly want to start writing a blog thank you very much…..
For me, a blog is a place where you can express yourself and your emotions, your thoughts and present your views in a way that it can reach out to people. Not only making money but writing a blog or making a vlog can make you feel good about what you are doing. You are bringing awareness to the society, you are helping people in a way, you are educating them and also you are learning from them so it’s a great experience and I really believe that everyone should try this.