An Introduction to Weblogs

Weblogs were once the publishing domain of teens and techies. Today, blogs are gaining popularity among journalists, educators, and other professionals who need a more efficient means of communication.

In 2004, the Democratic National Convention accredited bloggers who attended the DNC and reported on the convention. "Big Media Meets the Bloggers" (PDF) ", a case study from the Shorenstein Center at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, documents the role of Weblogs in Trent Lott's fall from power. Weblogs are rapidly becoming a political reality.

Unlike a Web site, which is characterized by a series of links and images, a Weblog is a text publication that provides links and commentary about a specific topic. The main distinction between the two is frequency. Using a blog is more like sending an instant message than an e-mail message.

Some tools for publishing a Weblog can also be used to manage the content of your entire site.

What is a Weblog?

Weblogs, commonly referred to as blogs, are Web sites that are very easy to update and provide instant access to information. Typically, links are the primary content of a Weblog. Blogs can provide both a filter and a way into the range of information available on the Web.

Read chronologically, the most recent postings are on top of the Web page while the older information gets pushed to the bottom. A blog post frequently consists of a title, link, comment, date and time of the post, and archival information.

What Does a Blog Do?

Blogs serve many purposes, addressing a wide range of audiences. Some are serious. Some are satirical. Weblog topics range from celebrity journals to news and events. Some blogs are information resources or communication tools used within a business or organization.

Informational blogs direct readers to important articles, events, and stories on the Web. These blogs are usually focused on a specific topic. They are created and maintained by individuals who filter Web content and compile links.

Examples of Informational Blogs

• Nonprofit Online News, a Weblog produced by the Gilbert Center, compiles important news for the nonprofit community.
• You can follow the work of various marine conservationists at the Oceana Network.
• Carvin's Waste of Bandwidth focuses on the digital divide.
• OrangePolitics.org follows community issues in Orange County, North Carolina.

Why Should My Organization Use a Weblog?

Weblogs can be an effective tool for communication between departments, programs, and organizations.

They can:

• Allow employees or constituents to post news and commentary that would be of interest.
• Serve as a forum for exchanging resources and information.
• Provide a comfortable atmosphere in which members can ask questions, give feedback, or share ideas.
• Keep track of meeting dates and events.
• Be a medium of communication for matters of general interest.

Because they can be easily and frequently updated, Weblogs allow for an almost instantaneous way to share and access important information.

What Software Do I Need to Start a Blog?

Blogging software comes in three basic varieties:

1. Hosted services
2. Remotely-installed applications
3. Locally-installed applications

Hosted services, such as Blogger or TypePad, are applications that run on a remote server. The company that offers the service takes care of all the back-end details, maintains the server, and runs the actual software. Users access the application through a Web site. With a hosted service, you can set up a Weblog with little knowledge beyond basic HTML skills, and you can access your blog using any computer that is connected to the Internet.

Remotely-installed applications, like WordPress and pMachine, are applications that are installed on your server and then accessed via individual computers connected to the server. Typically, these applications require more knowledge (someone at your organization needs to configure your server and maintain the application), but they allow a greater degree of flexibility. In some cases, they can be used as content management systems for your entire site, and not just a tool to publish your Weblog.

Locally-installed applications, like Radio Userland, reside on your computer. These are often easier to set up than a remotely-installed system, but they don't offer the same flexibility. Typically, only one user can post to a Weblog set up this way.

So how do you decide which type of software is best for you? Combine your degree of tech savvy with the requirements of your site. If you want to easily set up a Weblog to which multiple novice users can post, you'll probably want to use one of the hosted services. This way, you keep novice users from accessing the rest of your Web site, and your users can post from any Internet-connected computer.

If you would like to use the application as a content management system for your entire site, consider a remotely-installed application or locally-installed application. As with any technology decision, it is best to make a complete list of your requirements, and then compare that with the features offered by each application.