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FEATURE
Web 2.0
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10,000 new blogs are created every day. We show you how to build and promote a professional-looking site.
Of all of the Web 2.0 mediums, blogging has certainly made the biggest impact. Anyone fit to put finger to keyboard can set up, access and update a blog. The only thing needed to make it a success is a little bit of care and something interesting to say.
Putting an exact figure on the number of blogs in the “blogosphere” (and that’s the last time we’ll be using the word) is nearly impossible, as a blog can be almost anything. Accounts on Blogger.com obviously qualify, but then so could regularly updated forum posts, diary pages and news websites written from a first-person perspective. And, a blog doesn’t have to be written — with YouTube offering free, unlimited bandwidth and compatibility with almost all kinds of footage, starting a video blog (or “vlog”) could hardly be easier. If you have a digital still camera or camera phone, you could even start a photoblog or “moblog”. These terms may be slightly absurd, but one certainty is that blogging is absurdly popular. Technorati, the blog-tracking service, is currently watching more than 59 million blogs, with 1.3 million new posts (or blog entries) every day. Blogging may not be “taking over the world”, as one national newspaper recently claimed, but it’s clearly a force to be reckoned with.
But why? As a method of getting your writing and ideas in front of an audience of potentially millions, there are few methods more effective than blogging. Don’t mistake a blog with a mere personal website – a blog demands updates on at least a weekly basis and should provide links to other interesting or relevant blogs. These links then provide further links to other websites, thereby improving traffic but also improving chances of stumbling onto a truly great blog.
Blogs offer a few notable advantages over traditional websites — ease of use is chief among them. The simple templates of Blogger may all look similar, but they don’t require any knowledge of HTML to post an entry, and are tried, tested and guaranteed to work in all Internet browsers. Even a fairly complex and customisable blog engine such as WordPress allows you to enter a new post through a simple, form-based interface. Once your blog is set up, you could go for months without seeing an HTML document. Friends or colleagues can be added as additional co-authors, none of whom need to know anything about website design or programming. This, quite rightly, moves the focus away from the technology being used to the quality of the content.
And, because blogs are easier to use than custom websites, updating them
is a seamless, fast process. Seen something newsworthy? Forget about firing up Notepad to add a few lines to your homepage – just add a blog entry.
A whole new breed of citizen journalist is springing up, light on training but heavy on first-hand reportage. Best of all, services such as Blogger are capable of handling huge amounts of traffic, so if you break the story of the century you won’t need to worry about your server flailing helplessly before collapsing under the strain.
But blogs aren’t merely frivolous excuses for self-aggrandisement.
When Salem Pax started his blog in 2002, he could have had no idea that a year later he’d have a front-row seat for the invasion of Iraq. His blog catapulted him to fame precisely because he could do what no media organisation could – report directly from Baghdad with a resident’s perspective.
You don’t even need to be in front of a PC to blog. You can email entries to many of the blog services, which means if you’re so inclined and have a smartphone you can blog from the beach. Ditto for sending photos. And while these methods of blogging take an inevitable hit in terms of quality (writing on a smartphone doesn’t lend itself to careful editing, while the cameras on most phones aren’t up to much), it allows you to respond to events as they unfold in front of you, giving a whole new meaning to “live on the scene”. It’s no coincidence that in a major incident, such as the London bombings in 2005, bloggers and mobile phone snappers are almost always the first on the scene, unhampered by the logistical constraints of getting a professional journalist and photographers across town.
A blog can be a great way to boost your business profile and cement a relationship with your customers — and all for next-to-no cost. This goes double if you’re self-employed — what better way to demonstrate your enthusiasm for your profession than by blogging about it?
It provides a more interactive and interesting way for prospective clients to get to know you and your work than simply handing over a CV.
This article appeared in the March, 2007 issue of PC Authority.
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