For those of you that focus mainly on playing accoustic guitar, I have a great website for you to check out. The site is authored by Tony Hogan, a guitar player who has been playing for over 40 years. The link to his website is here
Generally most websites are trying to push guitar lessons to make a sale. Tony Hogan is giving you:
A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.” Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts,” “posts” or “entries”. A blog comprises text, hypertext, images, and links to web pages, videos, audio and other files. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently.
Blogs have quickly become one of the most popularly used forms of social media. With their rise in popularity has also come, an increase in variety. There is virtual blog buffet (a BLuffet, if you will) available for the web savvy to choose from.
Personal Blogs – The personal blog is perhaps the most popular and traditional type of blog. It is essentially an online journal/diary whereby bloggers use their posts as a means of sharing their thoughts, opinions, personal antecdotes. Regardless of their readership, bloggers take great pride in their posts.
Corporate or Organizational Blogs – These types of blogs are used by corporations or organization for marketing, branding or public relations purposes.
Blogs by Genre
Political Blogs – These types of blogs provide social commentary on political issues. They are news driven. Bloggers often link a news article concerning a political issue to their blog and add their own comments to them. As such, there is a lot of room for bias, according to the bloggers political viewpoint. As of late, the political blog has become a popular news source with some viewing the content on them as more ‘accurate’ than that of traditional news media.
One of the most popular types of this blog is The Huffington Post. Most famously known for the writer's colourful takes on all things pop culture related, this blog is perhaps best respected for the up to the minute coverage on political fodder.
Fashion Blogs – Fashion blogs cover all things fashion related. They cover fashion at all levels from the biggest names to the smallest indie designers. Bloggers post about trends in various apparel markets, street style and celebrity fashion choices.
Karla's Closet is a must see for the young and trendy. This blogger shares her fashion finds and daily outfits with her massive readership. She is also known for showcasing seasonal collections from some of fashion's most popular haute couture designers.
Food Blog – As seen in the film Julie and Julia. These types of blogs deal with all things food related: recipes, types of food, cooking techniques and equipment.
Orangetteis wildly popular amongst foodies and aspring chefs. Molly Wizenberg offers her journey through the wonderful world of food.
There are a multititude of others. If it is out there, there is a blog about it. Including: (but limited to) art, music, education, moms the list goes on….
Blogs by media type - A blog made using a video is called a 'vlog'. One that is comprised of links is called a linklog. A blog that contains a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog and one that is comprised of photos is called a photoblog. Blogs containing shorter posts and mixed media types are called tumblelogs. Blogs written on typewriters and then scanned are called typecast or typecast blogs.
These are some important points to remember, especially if you are a PR professional working with social media.
1. Do not quote entire posts from another blog without permission. A short attributed quote is OK. 2. Do not over-advertise your own blog on someonelse’s comments section. One link to your blog is enough. 3. Be respectful 4. Respond to comments left on your blog. Interaction is important. 5. Remember everything you post is live so think before you write! 6. Be positive as much as possible. Who wants to read/watch Debby Downer’s blog/vlog? 7. Interact with others as peers. You are not above them just because they are reading your blog.
Play the "find what's right; find what's wrong" game in the above vlog! Also, take note of the tips offered throughout the vlog.
Choosing Your Blog Template
So you want to begin blogging but you're not sure where to start. Well first things first our little blogging pupil. It's important to know that every great blog begins with a great blogging platform. What is a blogging platform and how do I know which one to choose you ask? Well, a blogging platform is software that was created to simplify the creation and maintenance of a blog, for simplicity sake you can think of it as the template for your blog. Now there are two different categories of templates - there's the HOSTED PLATFORM and the STAND ALONE or INSTALLABLEPLATFORM. Here's a breakdown of the two categories and examples of each so that you can have a better idea of what platform is right for you.
HOSTED BLOGS
-“host” your blog on a platform’s domains so you do not have to organize or pay for this yourself
-Easy set-up and you get a URL that is a combination of their URL and the name of the blog
oSimple to run: user friendly “posting as simple as filling in a few fields and hitting publish”
oUpdated automatically: don’t have to upload new software onto a server if platform is improved
oIndexed in search engines quickly
oMost hosted platforms allow you to map a custom domain URL for free . Some even allow
you to register for a domain through the platform for a fee
-CONS:
oLess configurable: limited in terms of features and ability to design/ customize
oLess control IF you choose to use a default domain: the blogger own content but URL is not yours so you’re at the mercy of the platforms for whether your blog is working or not
oUpgrading to Standalone can be tricky
-Popular hosted blog: PostSecret is a Blogspot (blogger.com) blog
STAND ALONE (Installable) Blog:
-Hosted on your own domain (URL) so you need to find a web host compatible with the platform content being used eg. Host BigDaddy
-Most Popular:WordPress.org, Movable Type
-Pros:
oFull control of design: very adaptable
oAdaptability: developers can create plugins that extend the ability of installation
oFree platforms: pay for your domain, but hosting system are usually open source and free to run
-Cons:
oComplicated set up
oCost: ongoing cost of having own domain name and hosting fees
oUpdates: blog platforms go through different versions and updating can be complicated
oHosting issues: stand alone hosts can go down too
Much like sports or twitter, blogging has it own unique terms and lingo.
Being new to the scene, I was caught by surprise when Geekosystem announced its blogiversary(known in the blogging world as one's blog birthday). While being aware that blogging etiquette exists, as a newcomer I wasn't aware of bloggers' expectations. My advice to all new bloggers is avoid being a blogsnob (refusing to respond to blog comments from "non-friends") or abluker(a blog reader not posting any comments, just lurking around quietly). It's also important to keep in mind whenblog hopping (jumping from one blog to another) not to become a doppelblogger (plagiarizing the content from another blog). This type of behaviour will certainly lead toE-thugs commenting on your blog. E-thugs are best to avoid as they tend to type in ALL CAPITALS, THREATEN YOU AND SWEAR EXCESSIVELY. My postings are getting a bit excessive and if I don't slow down I'll be in danger of having blogorrhea (unusually high output of articles). If you're curious about more blogging terms click here to find out more
Pros and Cons
After reading all this I bet you're probably wondering whats so great about blogging? Well, I will tell you...
Blogging is quick and easy
It's interesting(everyone has a story to tell)
A great way to get public feedback on a topic
Freedom of speech (with personal blogs you can vent your feelings)
blog sites can be developed with the help of simple procedures
blogs for organizations can be a valuable marketing/PR tool.It allows organizations to develop a brand presence online
easy to make online friends (blogger meet-ups)
It's free
Although blogging is fun. Newbie blogger's should be aware of some of the disadvantages when it comes to blogging.
blogs are easy to start, but hard to maintain
Very time-consuming. As a result many blogs are often not updated, thus damaging rather than advancing the reputation of the organization
Blogs are public and can be read by anyone who has access to the internet
The need to have a computer may not be feasible for everyone
Maintaining a successful blog requires skillful research, professional writing skills
It takes time to build an online audience
Bloggers must register their blog in blog search engines and use subtle PR to push traffic
Blog content must be very unique to draw traffic
May attract blog spammers who post random comments and promote commercial services
Blogs attract E-thugs ( Electronic thugs) or web bullies like this guy below
Some content if deemed inappropriate will be removed by the blog site
Blogger.com all users must abide by its Content Policy. No adult content, child safety from pedophilia and child porn, Hate speech, Crude content, violence, Copyright, illegal activities, Spam, Malware and viruses
Generally most websites are trying to push guitar lessons to make a sale. Tony Hogan is giving you:
