Vancouver Marketing Consultant Andrea Coutu's Blog

Blog: what is it?

General

2005-05-21 20:45:52

A blog is short for "weblog", a web-based journal of entries presented in reverse chronological order. Written by one person or several, a blog can present comments, links to other websites, images, video and other content. Some blogs allow others to add feedback.

People who write blogs are known as "bloggers". Most bloggers use web-based software and templates to create their blogs. (My blog is an exception, since it was custom built for me.) Blog applications allow bloggers to focus on writing entries, instead of coding HTML.

Blogs are often distributed using a webfeed, such as RSS or Atom. A webfeed pushes ("feeds") headlines to readers, allowing people to keep on top of a blog's content without having to spend time reading through entries. In other words, a webfeed allows bloggers to publish announcements of what's new on their site and makes it easy for other sites to find and republish content. With a webfeed, a blog's content can reach a wider audience.

Although most blogs are personal, businesses are starting to jump on the bandwagon. Business blogs can help companies optimize their sites for search engines, draw relevant traffic, give prospects a reason to visit the site again, and help keep customers informed. They're also easier to update than general websites.

Some varied examples of Canadian business blogs include:

Much Music Crew Spew -- musings from the Nation's Music Station

Microsoft Solution Developer Network -- tips and insights from MSDN Canada, Microsoft Most Valued Professionals and Regional Directors

Toronto Real Estate -- a real estate broker's musings on real estate in T-dot

Matthew Good -- he may be one of Canada's premier musicians, but he's still part of the entertainment business

(c) 2005 by Andrea Coutu. Vancouver Marketing Consultant. All rights reserved.
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