[stylist] Blogs

[Kerry Thompson]

A blog (web log) is simply an online journal where the blogger records those things that, in an earlier and less technological age, she/he would have recorded in a blank notebook with a pencil. At bottom, that's all a blog is. The only way in which a blog can be said to be "published" is that, once it goes live, anyone with Internet access can, theoretically, stumble upon it.

In practice, you can make it easier or harder for strangers to find your blog; the ways to do so are largely dependant on the particular blog service you choose.

If you make it easy for strangers to find your blog and, more importantly, if that blog is interesting and welcoming to visitors, it may grow into an online community. The defining characteristic of a blog as distinct from a web site of the standard, static variety is that a blog provides interactivity. That is to say, blog software not only allows you to post your material quickly and easily without all that tedious mucking about with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other types of code and programming, but it also allows your visitors to respond to you. In the language of the blogosphere, these responses are called comments. If a visitor wants to leave a comment, he simply types it into a textbox and presses a button marked send, submit or the like. If a blog becomes popular, each blog entry or main post may accumulate comments. And, eventually, the commenters will begin responding to one another as well as to your main post. At this point, your blog has become a blog community.

Blog communities don't just happen. The blogger has to make a commitment to write or post according to the lingo new material periodically. And, unles you're a teenager, each new post ought to be more substantive than, "I hate the world and the world hates me." If you hAve a hobby or a craft interest, post about it. If you enjoy keeping abreast of current events and expressing your opinions on them, post about that. If you find weird and wonderful links, post them. But it is important to remember that posting on a blog is not actually the same as "publishing." Posting on a blog is no more nor les than keeping a diary that friends and strangers anywhere in the world can read.

It is possible to publish or selfpublish on the World Wide Web. It is even possible to do so with a blog service. Such publishing is not random chitchat, though. Rather, it is as serious and organized as publishing with a market. To publish online you need to create or set aside a specific space. Ideally, make it look professional and serious. Include copyright information on the site as a whole or on individual works. It is also professional and prudent to register your web site, blog space, etc. with a Creative Commons license. Professional writers take these steps when selfpublishing online, and so should you.

There are several blog services, most of which are free. The most popular are Blogger, Typepad, WordPress and LiveJournal. I have only done extensive work with Blogger, so know that it is possible to make a Blogger blog look very much like a conventional web site or even like an online book. It may be possible to make analegous alterations to blogs on other services to make them look professional.

The main thing is to know what you want. Do you want an online diary that might grow into a community? If so, go for it. Blogs and the communities that often grow from them are great fun. Do you want an online shocase for your work? If so, go for it. The same tools can be used to create both. And, indeed, it is possible that a community of readers might gather around your showcase. But, don't make the mistake of thinking that a blog and a well organized collection of your work online are the same thing. They aren't. Both require work, but the goals of each are very different.

Stay tuned for a brief post on online markets.