This week I got an email from an aspiring blogger, so I wanted to share a key terms that new bloggers need to know as they enter the world of web 2.0. Sometimes I see questions like this pop up on writer's forums, too. You regulars will probably know most of these terms already, so humor me.
1. Blogroll: a list of related blogs. Some people don't like to have too many outgoing links, because they are afraid to lose the traffice. But it's good blogging karma to link to bloggers you admire. Many of them will return the favor if you ask nicely and some will do it automatically.
2. Domain name: this is the name of a website. For instance, in the email address info @ somewebsite.com, some website” is the domain name and that’s what you’d type into a web browser to find the website. My blog domain is UrbanMuseWriter.com, but it used to be theurbanmuse.blogspot.com, because I let Blogger host. Generally, it's considered more professional to have your own domain (and it's dirt cheap, so there's really no excuse).
3. Social bookmarking: allows users to search, store, and organize favorite links and access them from any computer. Examples include Delicious, Digg.com, and StumbleUpon.com. If your article or website makes into the homepage of one of these sites, it can significantly increase traffic (some sites even crash thanks to the “Digg Effect”).
4. UGC: user-generated content (this is sometimes called citizen journalism if it's a news site). Examples include TripAdvisor.com, Yelp.com, and Zeer.com. About a year ago, a newspaper launched in Boston with the idea of bringing bloggers to print audiences five days a week. It died within a year. Magazines like Budget Travel have tried this, too.
5. Widget: third-party online applications that can be embedded in your website. If you've ever been on Facebook, then you've seen about a million and one widgets. I can't explain it very well, so here's a definition of widgets from someone who's more tech-savvy than I am.
Next week I'll write about tips for new bloggers, so if you have tips or questions, be sure to leave them in the comments!
5 comments:
Timely blog. I just got an e-mail from a new blogger yesterday asking me for any tips she should know about blogging. When I saw your article I passed it on to her.
Thanks,
Useful comments. Thank you. I've a couple of questions. Now blog on Blogger. Interested in using full page format. Scribe is closest but not perfect. Do I have to change to a WordPress format to use more of the page? Dixon
@Patricia: thanks!
@Bumps stump: I think you are referring to your blog template. Blogger is pretty customizable, but you may need to consult a designer to figure out how to use more of the page. Web design is not my strong suit - sorry!
Thanks, Susan, interesting stuff. We just started our new translation blog today, and I think I will take your advice and get our own domain name.
We are definitely going to add a Blogroll for translation, language, and writing blogs that we enjoy and recommend. We were going to ask the creator of those sites that we link to if it's OK with them. I wonder if this is standard blogging business practice or if the destination pages are just happy to see that other related blogs are linking to them? What do you think?
@Judy and Dagmar: Most people will be thrilled to be included on your blogroll, so I don't think you need to ask permission. If someones asks you to take it down, you can always oblige, but I've seldom had people ask me if it's OK for them to link to me. Congrats on the new blog!
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