To understand blogs, you need to start with the lingo. Once you have that down you are well on your way to knowing exactly what a blog is and how to navigate through the virtual world with this awesome communication tool.
Blogging 101 is simply the terms used in blogging. Without looking below, do you know what they are?
Ok, I see you peeked. The terms used in blogging are: Blog, Platform, Domain, and Web Host. Now do you know what they are and what they do? Let’s study together then shall we?
Blog is short for weblog, which is basically a series of online posts presented in reverse chronological order. That’s really all there is to it! And although most blogs are text, photo blogs and video blogs are popping up all over the place too. Regardless of the type of blog presented, each has pretty much the same purpose, to tell a story or to share information.
A blogging Platform is the software program that allows you to write the posts to update your blog. There are many out there, but a couple of the more popular ones include WordPress and Blogger. The blogging platform is also used to design the look and feel of your blog, like the color scheme or fonts.
The Domain is the online address of your blog and what your readers will type in to their browser to find you. Every domain is unique, with a standard naming pattern (www.yourdomain.com), and your main consideration is the section between ‘www’ and ‘.com’ which should mean something to you and relate to your blog. As for the extension, ‘.com’ in the example, it is important to note that this extension has been in use for a very long time and may not be available for your chosen domain name.
The Web Host is like a virtual file cabinet where everything to do with your blog is stored. When you make a new post it is filed away in that virtual file cabinet. When you make a change on how your blog looks it is updated there too. And when someone accesses your blog their browser receives instructions on how and what to display on their screen.
This concludes Blogging 101 and if you studied hard I am sure you passed.
Congratulations!