How Slang

Blogs are a special format of a website. It is a good way to share opinions, experiences and experiences. Thanks to easy-to-use blog software and special content management systems (CMS), anyone can set up a blog – without any prior knowledge. What distinguishes a blog and how do you become a blogger?

• Blogs are platforms for all those who want to share their experiences, opinions and thoughts with other people.
• There are blogs from private individuals as well as those from online shops, magazines or other companies.
• The range of topics is wide; it ranges from fashion and travel to recipes and beauty tips.

What is a blog

Defined by abbreviationfinder, the term “blog” is the shortened form of “weblog”. This term is made up of the English “Web” for World Wide Web and “Log” for logbook. A blog can be compared to an online diary or journal that the author – the blogger – publishes on the Internet. A blog is characterized by the chronological order of the posts, a comment area under each article in which readers can express their opinion, and the opportunity to network with other bloggers.

The blogger chooses the topic himself and he expresses his experiences and opinions. The most popular topics include:

• Fashion
• Lifestyle
• Travel
• Food
• Beauty
• Fitness
• Wellness

The articles are composed of text, image or video elements and the length of the articles is variable: From a few hundred words to multi-part article series, everything is possible. Since a private blog is about subjective views, the formal, stylistic and grammatical requirements are also less strict than for articles in a magazine or newspaper. The articles are usually written by a single blogger, but he can also have co-authors or guest authors have their say. The more extensive a blog becomes, the more useful it is to classify the individual posts in categories that each cover a topic.

What blogs are there?

Private blogs usually stand on their own, but there are also blogs that are part of a website. An example of the latter is the fashion blog of an online fashion shop. It informs about trends and innovations and provides inspiration for outfits. Furthermore, companies also integrate blogs into their company websites – so-called corporate blogs. These report, for example, on new products, personal details, comment on an expert topic or present the company as an attractive employer.

Become a blogger yourself: this is how it works

A suitable platform and content management system are required to create a blog. Various providers, also known as hosters, provide platforms with which bloggers can create their website in a modular manner. When choosing the provider, the blogger’s ideas and wishes are particularly important: What scope of services and what configuration options should the site offer?

The advantage of creating a blog with a hoster is that the blogger receives professional support in the event of problems. All he has to do to create the blog is register. He then receives a web address for his new blog. He also has the option of logging in as an admin at any time and setting up the blog as desired.

Programming skills are not required for blogging. Even laypeople can set up the blog easily and quickly create content. This is particularly easy with a WYSIWYG editor (“What you see is what you get”), which is part of many CMS such as WordPress. In this editor, the blogger uses the appropriate buttons to apply all formatting in the text – similar to a Microsoft Office Word document. A preview function shows how the article will look for readers once it is published.

Platforms such as Jimdo, wix.com or weebly offer bloggers different options for designing their personal blog. There are free basic packages or fee-based packages with extensive customization and services. When choosing the provider, it is advisable to pay attention to the following things:

• intuitive handling
• a clear menu (for admin and user)
• the possibility to create categories, to write keywords for the articles and to build in a search function
• a wide range of designs to design the blog
• Configuration options for the layout
• the option to include images, graphics and videos in blog posts
• an optimization for mobile devices

If you decide to host your blog yourself, you need the appropriate know-how and are responsible for all technical matters. This also includes regular maintenance work and security updates.

Reach the right reader with a blog

In order to establish direct contact with readers on a blog and to promote dialogue, many bloggers activate the comment function under their posts. This opens up space for an exchange of views, which can be expanded to the blog’s social media channels if necessary.

By integrating buttons for Facebook, Twitter , YouTube , Pinterest, Instagram or LinkedIn, the blogger has the opportunity to share posts on these platforms, which increases visibility and reach. The blogger himself can also link his posts on his own social media channels.

If the blogger writes a regular newsletter, a corresponding button makes it easier for the user to register for it. So-called blogrolls, which provide the reader with a collection of links to other topic-related blogs, are also practical for the reader.