What is blogging?

First things first...
A blog is an online journal or a "web log".  It is a way for individuals, organisations or groups to share their news and interests online.

What makes a blog different?
Blogs are part of the second wave of the world wide web, or Web 2.0.  Originally, web sites were static, "read only" sources of information.  However, over time there was an increase in demand for an interactive, "read-write" web.  Readers wanted information that was frequently updated and relevant to themselves, and blogs were able to meet these demands.

Blogs were flexible and easy to update.  Each new blog post was situated at the top of the page for easy access.  Conversations emerged as readers left comments on the blog posts that interested them, interacting directly with the author.  Bloggers linked to other blogs that they found interesting and small like-minded communitites were born.

In this video, Commoncraft introduce blogs in plain English:




So, why do people blog?

People blog because they have something to say!  Some are prompted by personal interests, such as baking, photography or hill walking.  They like to engage with other people who feel the same; they share their thoughts and experiences, and learn from one another.  For many people, blogging presents an opportunity to be creative.  Others blog for professional reasons.  They aim to share their expertise or to promote something.  Such blogs might cover topics such as higher level education, professional development or effective presentations.  

A lot of the time, people blog about the things they love.

How do you go about blogging?
Luckily, it is very easy to set up a blog!  You can quickly and easily set up a free blog on Blogger or Wordpress; new multimedia-friendly blog sites are also available, such as Tumblr and Pinterest.