The Qwertyrash Blogs

So much mumbo jumbo when you get into blogging: blogs, trackbacks, pings, so I’ve started this Blossary. Feel free to post more in the comments. Rather than making this one document, I’ve created a category for it to make it simpler to add items. Possibly I will maintain this document too, as a single source of all the items in the blossary.

It will also contain descriptions of services - eg Technocrati, Adsense etc.

I hope you find it useful.

Blog
What is a blog? The key differences between the old style websites, which could contain both static and dynamic content, is the format and the regularity of updates. Think of a blog like the news page of traditional sites - updated regularly with anything newsworthy from product updates to opinion to general communication.

The term “blog”, is short for web log. Early bloggers simply kept a web based log or journal of events. Since though, blogs have expanded to include many things.

There’s two sorts of blogs:
- Product blogs
- Commentary blogs

A Product Blog keeps you updated on product news and information, and if it’s specific - eg Digital Cameras - then it can be a valuable source of researching when buying. These types of blogs sometimes provide product reviews as well either by third parties, or the blogger themselves.
The life expectancy of readers on product blogs is often short, as it’s only as long as the reader has an interest in the product. Consequently, these types of blogs require regular new readers for their site, and rely on high placement in search engine results.

A Commentary Blog on the other hand, provides not only news and information, but also comments on it, providing personal opinion. These blogs can take any form, with some bloggers commenting about global politics and others about the blue wren they saw in their backyard. And of course everything in between.
The life expectancy of readers on Commentary Blogs is often much longer, as it’s readers tend to get involved in the topics, placing their own comments and opinions in response.

Bloggers often combine the two. For example, my Technology blog both reports new product developments but also comments on goings on in the technology sector.

In one way or another, any blog falls into either or both of these categories.

Content Management System (CMS)
A CMS is the engine behind the blog. It is the software the creates the blog and presents it on your website. It will have an easy to use interface to allow simple creation of new entries in your blog. My own blogs are built on the Nucleus CMS
These do require maintenance. If you’re not up to that, then you’re better off looking at a blogging service such as wordpress.com or Blogger.com