Blogs

What’s a blog and how a blog works.

Blogs are the now and the future style sites for many businesses on the Internet, primarily businesses who constantly update information AND want the info sent quickly to readers.  Like me.  Or, for owners who want to manage a site themselves.

Many say blogs will replace static websites eventually. I agree but… I still see a place for regular ol’ websites for small business owners whose primary product is not information, don’t have a skill set or staff to enable a heavy hands-on approach to their web presence.

Whether it’s a blog or a website you have, they both need to be made sticky.  

Blog Lingo - Bloggers blog in the blogosphere

Translated from geek-speak means people with a deep expertise and a desire to express it write articles that are published for online readers.  So here I am. Kath is blogging.

My blog gives free website help to small business owners wanting to create sticky sites or blogs to get better results for your Internet efforts.  Besides the 99% free stuff I’m selling a few DIY tools so I can cover my monthly costs.

Plus I plan to show you how to do it. I plan to use the new stuff enabled by new software or demand or whatever…so you can see how it’s done and then consider what’s in it for you whether you have a blog or a website, eg. video clips to really show a customer how something works, or what’s cool about your location. 

For now I’ll say I’ve learnt so much by setting this one up and there’s much more ahead.  Subscribe on the right sidebar to come along with me.

Blogs = Conversation.

One-way, two-way, or group. This Sticky Website Blog is like a buzzing talkative workshop classroom online. Not the information library that former websites created. I’ve used the mankinds-library-in-the-sky image for the Web in my workshops for years.  Things have changed.

How Blogs Work
Think classroom.  Not just any classroom but the great classroom where looking back you realise you learnt heaps and felt good being there. Read my 10 point article (post) on how my blog is like a classroom.  

Readers new to blogs can get a grip on the new environment by reading my three part series on Blog Basics 

1. How Blogs Work: how the blog process is like a classroom.
2. How to Read Blogs:  many new visible elements on a blog site, what, where, why
3. How to Write Blogs:  you too can share your opinions/expertise  

 Blogs use is spreading like wildfire and changing attitudes toward the Web.

Technorati says blogs have shifted users from passive library users to active conversationalists. Blog software enables experts to have their say and listeners have their say as well.  

“Thus the way we use the web is shifting in a fundamental way. Instead of primarily being passive consumers of information, more and more Internet users are becoming active participants. Weblogs allow everyone to have a voice.”

Blogs are simple for the writer to publish.

Blogs use a Content Management Software (CMS) that uses a toolbar like Word often called a dashboard. Some website owners already manage their own content using CMS templates. Same thing. But Blogs can be distributed and allow for conversations.

Blogs are simple to set up.

Many many many companies let you set them up for free using a variation of their address URL ….yourname.wordpress.com  Many developers say wordpress.com is the favoured choice for flexibility. Wordpress was my choice and that of the designer of my previous websites, Jo Couchman. When I read she was now setting up blogs I was on to the project, marveling at her creative ideas and positive nature. More on that later. If you are really curious, check out the free short videos from wordpress on how to do the basics.

You can be as hands on as you want and are able.

Do it yourself or use your web designer to assist with the bits over your head/or interest. Wordpress gives you choice of different free themes colours, layout etc etc including hosting, the whole tamale.  If you want to use your own URL without their branding, you use your own URL domain and have to pay for your own hosting, can alter the theme more and have to do your own back up.

Blogs are simple to read once you get a little practice.

Blogs use some new terms:  categories, posts, comments, threads, RSS, feeds. Read my paragraph above on Classroom-Style Blog. You really will learn by reading, replyling, commenting, doing and exploring.  See Ways to Subscribe below.

Blog layouts can appear different from static websites.

I’ve used a familiar website page layout here to ease my readers transition to reading blogs. Many blogs use only right side menu (sidebars) which goes against what eye maps tell us about how online readers like to read. Thus I use the major navigation on the left as online readers request.  I think Blogs using only right sidebar navigation have it wrong.  

Want to read more?  Want to get my latest article? Keep track of discussions.  Subscribe makes it easy for you.

Blogs are simple to subscribe to…2 or 3 ways. This is a big deal difference.

1. Subscribe in the customary box (on my right sidebar) with your email. This method is most like what we’ve been doing for years.  Your Inbox gets emails in with links to the latest Posts or as the Posts are Published. The reader or the blog writer can determine how often.  (More on that in future posts.  Your questions will let me know what you want to learn about).
2. or..Blogs can be syndicated with RSS an feed.  Outlook 2007 has built in RSS feed folder making it really easy to get messages directly. IE 2007 also makes it easy to get the feeds into your Favorites but if then you have to think about checking which to be honest, few do. We get sidetracked if we get no reminder. I didn’t say easy to start with but I promise it get’s easier.  It’s worth getting your head around what RSS feeds are about. While it’s not easy easy to set up in XP it’s like other so many other things…it is easy once you know how! Now that’s a future article if I ever heard one.  Read more about feeds and the orange R symbol.
3. or…News Readers  also called Feed Readers. I suggest you read about how the feeds work at Feedburner  a piece of software some people have on their computers - free or small fee. Some sit online, some sit on your machine and organise your feeds (article publishers you want to subscribe to).

Blog vs static website or a hybrid?

I agree with those who say Blogs are more than a website. Because they offer the capacity for quick two-way and many-way discussion.

Blogging Benefits to me, Katherine Kozel giving website advice, 99% free.

My product is knowledge and understanding and my service is teaching  it to you. A Blog is more like my teaching style, conversational.  I’m on the learner’s side. I am your advocate…here to answer questions, make it clear as possible for you. I understand that saying it once from my way of seeing the world doesn’t necessarily make it clear to someone else therefore I not only encourage, I expect questions and discussion in order for the learners (in this case the readers wanting website help) to really know what they can and should do to have an awesome sticky website.

Blogging Benefits to you, a business owner.

See if any of my benefits above pertain to you and your customers.  Do you have the same sort of relationship?  Would your relationship move to a more trusted level if you had more two way conversation than you pushing your barrow down the pipe?

Bottomline - blogs are our future.

Nevertheless, we’ll be seeing more and more businesses with blogs as we tap into the benefits of a closer relationship between customers and business (easier to be a loyal customer, easier to provide helpful customer service– easier, timelier, cheaper technology to use with more control.  Hooray.