What Are Blogs?

What are blogs? Almost everyone has heard of the term but not many people actually know what a blog is.

The word itself is derived from the combination of two words; “web” + “log”. When you look at it in this light, it gives you a better understanding of how blogs started out. They are essentially a business or person’s log, or in other words, journal, that is available for everyone to see over the Internet.

The first ever blog dates back to 1994 but it wasn’t until about 1999 that they began to gain a lot of popularity. It was around this time that specialized blogging services came online, such as Blogger and LiveJournal. Between 1994 and 2001, most blogs served personal or business interests. From 2001 and onwards we began to see political entities establishing blogs and in recent years blogs have been used as a news alternative.

Why are blogs so popular?

Blogs are a great way to share new ideas, thoughts, stories, events, etc in an organized and chronological way.

Just as people like to share information on sites like Facebook, personal blogs are a great way to share thoughts and express yourself in detail. For the readers, it’s fascinating to see what others are saying and doing and fun to be able to share in the experience by leaving comments within the blog itself.

Blogs are popular with businesses because they can make announcements, share photos and videos and it’s easy to do. It helps to build a relationship with clients and potential customers and can be a powerful form of free viral marketing.

Would you like to start your own blog?

If you’re interested in starting your own blog, I’d highly recommend you get a free account at Blogger. It’s easy to use and has lots of cool features and themes that you can use to personalize your blog and do lots of cool stuff.

If you want to have a professional blog or want to set up something for the long-term, it’s best to register your own domain name and host a WordPress blog on your website. WordPress is the best blogging software, is totally free to use and has amazing functionality.