OnYourMark, LLC Blog

This month‘s Pro is Kristen Day, Internet Marketing Consultant at OnYourMark, LLC. Kristen discusses blogs in this month’s Ask the Pro.

Everyone is familiar with the concept of a journal, a personal record of thoughts and events. We often start journaling as children, for school projects or to simply keep a private record of our daily lives. With blogs, journals have come of age in the world of technology.

A “blog” is simply an online journal, derived from the term “web log.” A “blogger,” or blog author, uses his or her blog to post news, events, ideas, links or whatever comes to mind! The difference between blogs and our traditional concept of journals is that many bloggers want their blogs to be public. The days of stashing your journal under the mattress to keep siblings away are over!

Blogs have always existed on the Internet. Webmasters often make a page available to the public that details website updates and changes. Some use public pages to post links. Early blogs usually consisted of HTML pages that required manual updates each time an item was posted. As webmasters realized the importance of keeping a website current, simple programmed modules were created to make blogging easier. Programmed modules allow the user to type in text and click “Save” with no HTML required!

In 1999, services such as DiaryLand, LiveJournal and Blogger.com appeared. These sites opened blogging to the general public through the use of programmed modules. For free, a user can create an account and start blogging in minutes. Paid memberships on blog sites offer more advanced features to users, and help support the cost of running blogs.

While some bloggers keep their thoughts private, some bloggers use their blogs for social networking. On sites like LiveJournal, Bloggers can link to each other’s blogs, or join community blogs specific to a topic. On theBubbler.com, we offer free journal space for registered users. theBubbler offers a gathering place for Wisconsin residents to post their thoughts.

Even celebrities, from Dave Barry to Al Roker, are blogging their activities and thoughts on current events. Blogs allow the public to get a glimpse of celebrity lives, straight from the horse’s mouth. Oprah Winfrey offers free blog space to her fans on www.Oprah.com, encouraging her viewers to start expressing their thoughts.

While many bloggers use their blogs to record details of their personal lives, other bloggers have grasped the power that blogging has to influence. Blogging is fast becoming an accepted form of press. Often news bites break on blogs before the mainstream media has a chance to pick up the story. Currently no code of ethics is enforced on bloggers, which raises the question, “Should bloggers be held to the standards of the press?” This article from CBS News, Blogs: New Medium, Old Politics, from December 9, 2004 looks at the effect of blogs on the 2004 election. First amendment rights and blogs will certainly be a hot issue in years to come.

A blog is a fantastic addition to a commercial website. If you are an industry expert, why not share your thoughts on a blog? Search engine expert Danny Sullivan posts news and ideas on his Search Engine Watch Blog. We use a blogging system to post search engine related news and resources on Register Success. Blog additions are an easy way to keep a website looking fresh.

I’ve been maintaining a private, personal blog since 2001. I often reflect on it to see where I’ve been over the years! It’s much easier to search a digital diary than it is to flip through tattered notebooks. I’ve also started a separate blog chronicling my family history and stories handed down from relatives. As my relatives age, I want to make sure their stories are preserved correctly for future generations.

Links Mentioned in this Article:

- www.diaryland.com
- www.livejournal.com
- www.blogger.com
- www.thebubbler.com/modules.php?name=Journal
- weblog.herald.com/column/davebarry/
- www.alroker.com/journal.cfm
- www.oprah.com/journal/journal_landing.jhtml
- www.cbsnews.com
- blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/
- www.registersuccess.com

What would you like to ask the pro? Email your questions to askthepro@OnYourMark.com!