Definition and Function of Blogs

The desire for written communication has been a constant in many lives and throughout the ages. What the internet's provided is the way to connect many people, but that's not a new concept to people who've used email to send photos and letters or who've browsed many websites. Perhaps what is new are blogs, which is short for "weblogs."

Letter writing has been a favorite hobby and has been modernized with the ability to send email. A diary provides a very specific view into someone's life. One day's entry, ripped from the diary, can provide the day-to-day details of an individual. Both of these hobbies are very localized with a specific and narrow focus of and on the world.

The difference is that blogging can be a fusion of:
letter writing
a scrapbook
a photo album
essay writing and opinion pieces
diary or journal keeping

Or, to be specific, it can do any one, or all of those activities very easily with only the limits of one's imagination and basic HTML knowledge. In addition, a blog is easier to maintain and change around than almost any of these other ideas. Eventually, anyway. At first, blog creation can be challenging, but the basic steps of blogging are limited. The more posts that are created, the easier it will become.

The advantage that a blog offers over a traditional website is the ability to easily update the site's content. The entries are usually viewed with the newest posts on the top, with an archive of past entries sorted by month.

You can share the details of your life:
instantly
inexpensively
with very little effort

There are many places to create your blog as any search engine will reveal. For our purposes here, we'll confine the blog to one hosted service (Blogger) which has recently launched their beta service. Since the builder hasn't been officially launched, there may be glitches, bugs, and other unexpected "features." There is also the opportunity to create a blog that's easier to create and maintain with these new blog tools. Perhaps the knowledge that the reader is not alone in struggling with something new will be of help later on.

History of the Blog

The relatively new form of communication known as blogging, has rapidly evolved since its first estimated appearance in 1997 . There's been a meteoric progression in the scope and function of blogging since then.

The first blogs were more or less online journals, limited in scope to the day to day activities and thoughts of individuals. It was difficult to include pictures, and the blogging process required a working knowledge of HTML and site design, along with ways to upload files to the website itself. The process was complex, and these websites were limited to those people with advanced computer and coding skills.

Commercial sites like Angelfire or Geocities simplified the process with site builders, which provided forms that the blogger could fill out - an early set of templates. Wikipedia estimates that blogging begain in 1994, with the term "blog" being introduced in 1997. Since then, the level of HTML necessary has been reduced to make a very user-friendly experience.

Now, the spectrum of topics ranges from:
personal blogs
political commentary
corporate sites
professional
television shows
and everything else that you could possibly imagine

Blogger recently launched its beta builder, and offers easy, one click customization to your blog. Google owns this service and now a Google account (Gmail email account) can be used to log into Blogger.
Clarification:Blogger is the blog builder and blogspot.com is where the blogs are hosted. They're part of the same service, but not interchangeable.

Related Reading
Wikipedia's thorough look at blogging history
basics of the internet
comparison of different bloghosting services
giant list of often tongue-in-cheek blogging definitions
news article speaking about impact of blogs


Concerns about Blogging

It's become increasingly common to hear reports of online identity thefts, stalking, or other problems related to the internet. It's advisable to take proactive steps to protect your privacy and safety while using the internet.

Blogging can be done with a relatively low level of risk since you, the writer, can decide upon the details included in your posts and information provided.

Anyone can stumble upon your blog, and if you use details of your personal life in your blog, you might have an audience that you weren't intending. It might be helpful to view your blog as a television show on a tv with millions of channels - there's no guarantee that anyone will stop on your particular channel, but consider what they'll see if they do.

If you live and work in a small town, it might not be the most sensible idea to post pictures of your family along with their names. Likewise, if you mention a specific location ("my favorite Starbucks on 33rd is where we always spend our Saturday mornings"), you could be providing details that someone could use in a negative way.

Limit the specific details of where you are, what you do, and how you live unless you can filter and control who reads your blog. Several blog sites provide this setting, which can range from only allowing registered users to view your blog, to only allowing those users that you've designated and approved to read your blog.

Consider creating an email address specifically for your blog, or not allowing your email address to be shown on your blog.

Work-Related Concerns

Writing about employers and place of employment can be detrimental to careers as a few highly-publicized bloggers have learned. Heather Armstrong, who writes dooce.com, has this to say about writing about work:
"I started this website in February 2001. A year later I was fired from my job for this website because I had written stories that included people in my workplace. My advice to you is BE YE NOT SO STUPID. Never write about work on the internet unless your boss knows and sanctions the fact that YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT WORK ON THE INTERNET."

When her story circulated around the internet, a word describing being fired for blogging about work was created - dooced.

Now, many companies have a specific policy dealing with blogs and the professional conduct required of its employees - even outside of the office.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an Internet privacy advocate which suggests blogging anonymously and offers its anonymous blogging guide as a way to protect your identity.


Related Reading
picking a domain name for a small business
cyberstalking overview
the ultimate resource for crime and the internet
a few featured interesting blog names
random blog name generator
frequently used words in blog titles

Naming Your Blog

Picking a name for your blog can be challenging - especially using an established service like Blogger. Many, many blog names have been claimed, and creativity is required to find a name that isn't taken. Things to derive a blog name from might include:
a personal hobby
a literary allusion
a pet's name
a favorite sports team
inside jokes
personal interests
subject reflective words
your name (assuming that privacy isn't a concern)

Keep in mind that one of the easiest ways to find a name is to add numbers to the name. "Ruby" is very likely taken, but maybe "Ruby1066" isn't.

Some blogs even make up words that slightly relate to the site's content.
Gizmodo - an electronics and gadgets blog
TheSartorialist - a high fashion photo site
Waiterrant - a collection of restaurant anecdotes from a waiter

Caution! Combining words or a phrase may have an unexpected meaning when it's viewed as a single word. Take, for example, the phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword." If you wanted to turn that into the name of your blog, it would be a very poor choice because it raises expectations about the site's content.

To see how a possible blog name looks when it's typed, Google names before definitively deciding on one. Avoid possible misunderstandings about content or purpose, and avoid trademarks and copyrights.

The most important thing is to pick a name you enjoy and that reflects what you want your blog to represent.