Here is our first post on our Prime Blog as we finally made the jump to blogging. Lets just say it was a 2007 resolution that was followed through on. I could think of no better opening post than to give a little blogging 101 so those of you new to blogs have some background. I’ve personally been working with blogs for a few years, but I’m looking forward to what myself and the Prime staff can deliver here. Read, comment and enjoy!

 
Blogging 101
If this is the first blog you’ve read or maybe the first time you’ve wanted to know a little more, then here is the Blogging 101 crash course to explain the basics.

Websters gives the following for the definition of blog: Main Entry: blog Part of Speech: n Definition: an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called [Weblog], [Web log] Example: Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author. Etymology: shortened form of Weblog Usage: blog, blogged, blogging v, blogger n

Where did “blog” come from? The word blog is shortened from weblog. Weblog as a term was born in 1998 by Jorn Barger when users on the Internet starting putting together link and recommendation pages filtering content on the net. Soon sites like Blogger appeared offering blog platforms that are easily updated. Now, millions of blogs are available and growing.

What features make up a blog? Blogs all have some common elements and features that allow for the ease of adding information, sharing information and giving feedback on information.

• Title: Each post is given a title just the same as a printed article.
• Time stamp and/or permalink: The date and time the post is uploaded to the blog. The permalink is a link to a permanent page just for this post. This allows other bloggers to link to a post.
• Post Content: A word, sentence, paragraph or essay, either factual or opinion based on the subject the author is posting on. Post often contain links to other sources, blog posts or people cited in the post.
• Author: The name or nickname of the person who wrote the post. For collaborative blogs, the author helps to differentiate contributors.
• Category: Individual postings are often labeled as part of a category. These categories can be clicked to see all posts that pertain to this topic or theme.
• Comments: A feature that allows readers to leave their own comments and reactions to the author’s post. In turn, the author can further react to the comments of the readers.
• Feeds: Blogs continue to add features that allow users to gather, rate, save and share posts that they find valuable. Through RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and other feeds, users can stay updated or become alerted to blog posts without even visiting the blog itself.

Why write a blog? Writing a blog gives you a voice. In the business world, it allows you to position your expertise and opinion on industry topics, news and trends. A blog can bring a human element and clarity to your client base or audience. Blogs also have search engine optimization and marketing benefits online. The reasons are many and diverse.

Why do people read blogs? Blogs contain specific niche information, sources and entertainment for a reader. The ability to read, learn, discover and interact with sources of information creates open communication and learning. While a reader should always factor in an authors credibility, the format to learn specific information, gather opinions and discover more sites related to specific information make blogs a winner for many internet users.

We hope you have learned a bit more on blogs and the act of blogging from the Blogging 101 article. Maybe your ready to make the next step and start a blog yourself. If so, we can help get you started both with setting up a blog and learning the basics.

Posted on February 12th, 2007 by Aaron
Filed under: blogging, prime news

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