Blog

Have you ever found a recipe online, but you first have to read a long article? Or have you ever been to a business’s website to see company updates or descriptions of a company's products? Chances are you’re looking at a blog.

You might wonder why recipes often contain articles or why a company needs to post weekly articles about their new software. This is because blogs can be an important factor when it comes to growing a business, brand, or personal audience.

Blog Definition

Blogs now serve many purposes, but they started as an online journal format to share ideas.

Fig. 1 - Blog with the most recent post visible.

Blogs evolved from being online diaries to being a platform to post any type of content you want. There are no restrictions on topics to write about, so it’s no wonder blogs are incredibly popular.

Where did the idea for a blog come from? Blog is shortened from the word “weblog”, a term that was coined in 1997 by a programmer and blogger named Jorn Barger.¹ Barger called his websites “weblogs” to describe his process of logging the web as he surfed the internet. He created his weblog page to make posts about his interests and pursuits, hoping he would gain followers.

Difference Between Blog and Essay

An essay is created with the intent to inform. You would usually gather information on a certain topic and then offer a structured analysis and conclusion on that information. The audience for an essay is usually someone in an academic role – because of this, an essay could be used as a legitimate resource for information if it is well-researched. An essay would be published in a classroom setting or in an academic journal.

A blog is quite different. A blog tends to be more casual than an essay because there are no set rules. Some blogs may be informative, and some can be more personal.

Difference Between Blog and Website

A blog can be an entire website on its own. This means that the website is dedicated primarily to any blog content being posted. The focus of the website is uploading and maintaining blog posts as opposed to offering services for a business or just information on a static site.

So how can you tell the difference between a website and a blog? Here are a few scenarios:

Notice the difference between the two examples above. A website that has a blog doesn't show the blog posts on the front page, but as a tab that you can select. A website without a blog describes the company’s products and services and nothing else.

Types of Blogs

Since moving past the idea that blogs were just journal entries, more types of blogs have evolved. Some of the most popular types of blogs are business and personal blogs.

Business Blogs

This type of blog serves the purpose of informing readers about the company’s products or services. Businesses will hire writers that write in a way that reflects a company’s tone, values, or identity.

Fig. 2 - A blog within a website.

Personal Blogs

A personal blog can be started for any reason. Maybe you need a creative outlet and want a place to share your thoughts, pictures, videos, or art. Maybe you want to meet like-minded people so you create a blog similar to others you follow. You could create posts that talk about your life experiences, opinions, or ideas you have. It's not required, but it can be helpful to come up with a niche for your blog if you're stuck on what to write about.

Ideas for Personal Blog Niches

The importance of a blog depends on the intent of the blog. Why was it created in the first place? Are there business objectives such as selling more products? Are there certain topics that an individual or company wants readers to know about?

Importance of Business Blogs

As we saw before, not every website or business has a blog. But many businesses choose to have a blog because they help build the brand.

Importance of Personal Blogs

The importance of a personal blog can be a little harder to pinpoint. This is because the purpose of this type of blog is entirely up to the creator. A personal blog can be as important as someone makes it. Here are some reasons why it could be important to the creator:

Blog Example

What would a blog look like if it had a healthy food niche?

First things first, why would someone want to start a blog? Reasons can vary, but the first step to starting a blog is determining the blog's intent. A company might start a blog to funnel traffic to its website and products. Someone might start a personal blog to share life stories, or because they want to earn an income by blogging.

Whatever the reason, there are a few steps you’ll need to take before you can start sharing content.

How Blogs Earn Money

How much money can you really make from a blog? That depends, but it can be anywhere from a few hundred to thousands per month. With that in mind, do bloggers earn money as soon as they make their first few posts? Usually, no – but a few things can be done to start seeing a larger stream of money from a blog.

Blog Structure

There is no required structure for a blog. However, following the basic guidelines below can help your blog's readability. Blogs are sometimes formatted in reverse chronological order, meaning you'd first see the most recent post when going to a site, but that isn't required. Here is a guide to how each individual post can be structured:

1. Caroline Forsey, What is a Blog, and Why Should You Create One, 2020