what is a Blog?

A blog, short for weblog, is a frequently updated web page used for personal commentary or business content. Blogs are often interactive and include sections at the bottom of individual blog posts where readers can leave comments.

Most are written in a conversational style to reflect the voice and personal views of the blogger. Some businesses use blogs to connect with target audiences and sell products.

Blogs were originally called weblogs, which were websites that consisted of a series of entries arranged in reverse chronological order, so the newest posts appeared at the top. They were frequently updated with new information about various topics.

Today's blogs are more likely to be a personal online journal or commentary related to a business that's frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs are still often defined by their format, consisting of a series of entries posted to a single page in reverse chronological order. Many blogs are collaborative and include multiple authors often writing on a single theme such as Engadget, a tech blog with multiple authors.

A blog is usually devoted to a subject of interest to a target audience -- such as fashion, politics or information technology. Blogs can be thought of as providing ongoing commentary on a theme. They're intended to engage with a community interested in a topic and the personality or products of the blogger or sponsoring business. Bloggers often pick unique domain names that reflect the topic at hand, such as Not Another Cooking Show, a food blog.

Bloggers control their content and don't have to rely on other outlets to publish their views and connect with an audience. Monetization strategies let bloggers make money from their writing and sometimes build entire careers.

TECHTARGET

Successful tech blogs often follow similar structures, listing content in reverse chronological order.

What is a blog used for?

The first blog sites were essentially online personal diaries or journals. They became popular for their regular content updates, personal point of view, aggregation of interesting links, and the opportunity to engage in the comments section with the blogger and their audience.

Blogs have come a long way from their early days as online journals, though it's still a popular reason people create a blog. They've also become an important way for buyers to gather information about the products and services they're researching.

According to Gartner, most customers do much of their buying research online, spending only 5% of their time with sales reps. Responding to that trend, blogging has become an effective way for organizations to create authoritative content attractive to buyers conducting their own research. Most business blogs end by advertising their product in hopes readers are ready to buy after reading and learning from the blog.

Blogs are a popular medium for connecting to audiences and have many uses for individual and business bloggers.

Some other reasons people start blogs include the following: