Blogging: history and current situation
The word blog, which was declared word of the year in 2004, is a modern made-up word, it was created from the combination of the terms web and log. From the first term, which is another term for Internet, the last letter has been adopted, from the second term - the first part of the word. The term log (book) comes from the field of seafaring, with which the regular recordings of the occurrences during the shipping are referred to. An important difference between a logbook and a private diary is that keeping the former is a duty for seafarers. However, this property of a logbook was not included in the term blog. Blog therefore means an online diary.
Blogs were also initially referred to as weblogs, but this term has not caught on, although it is still in use. Blogging means something like keeping a diary on the Internet. Regular entries in this diary are a feature of blogging, whereby the exact periodicity of the entries and their length can vary. Blogging is usually a voluntary activity of a blogger, although there are now differences between the exclusively private and the commercial blogs. The differences between using blogging will be discussed later. The first blogs went online in the 1990s. It was made possible by special software that was perfected over the course of the following years.
One of the currently most important software offers for setting up blogs is WordPress. This software has been around for a decade and it can be described as a software-as-a-service. as software that is offered by a service provider and can be used by users (bloggers) after registration. Registration is usually free for users. Another way to blog is to do so as the owner of an individual domain, i.e. a blog will be integrated into the homepage.
Blogging: technical features and possibilities
WordPress software can serve as an example of modern blogging. This software (current version is 4.5, as of April 2016) offers functions of a content management system, i.e. it allows the blog operator to manage content on his site. The system provides the option of adding tags (key words with the help of which it can be found on the Internet) and metadata (assignment to larger data collections) to a contribution. Comments on the contributions can also be managed.
The software allows extensive personalization of a blog by making different layouts available to the user and also allowing the creation of their own layouts. In addition, various features can be integrated into the blog using plug-ins. Including e.g. setting up photo albums or galleries, live chat, linking to social networks such as Facebook, Tumblr, etc. By integrating a chat, blogging is transformed into interactive communication with users (visitors to a blog).
Other features that are important for successful blogging are the ability to collect related topics under one thread, which increases the clarity of the posts and the course of the discussion. Furthermore, each contribution is provided with its own URL (an address on the Internet), which makes it easy to find and link to. In this context one speaks of a permalink, i.e. from a permanent (permanent and unchangeable) link to the post or thread.
Furthermore, a blogger can create a collection of links to the blogs that are relevant from his (her) point of view. can be seen on the home page. With this so-called blogroll, users can quickly find out which topics other blog operators are blogging about. If users want to follow the activities of a blog without visiting the blog, they can subscribe to a blog, in which case they will receive regular feeds, i.e. Summaries of the blog posts.
Technically, the blog software WordPress, like many other similar programs, is based on the scripting language PHP (“Hypertext Preprocessor”). In addition, information about the MSQL database used (name of the database and the access data) is required to set up a blog. In addition to WordPress, comparable software that enables blogging also offers Livejournal, Blog.de, Serendipity, etc.
Blogging: Goals and Impact
The number of blogs has grown rapidly in recent years. This has to do with the increasing accessibility of computer technologies, because both the procurement costs for hardware and the costs for Internet access are currently relatively low. Setting up and running a blog (i.e. blogging) does not require any special technical knowledge, e.g. in the field of programming. Blogging is a worldwide phenomenon and is related to the processes of globalization. Blogging is not just a product of globalization, it is also a driving force behind global networking.
For many people, blogging is an opportunity to present themselves publicly, to communicate with like-minded people around the world and to show solidarity with theirs. In the latter regard, joint actions by bloggers such as Blog tours or blog parades are popular. As an example of a campaign by bloggers who specialize in topics related to books (reviews, author interviews, etc.), “Bloggers give reading pleasure” can be mentioned. Around 1000 bloggers in German-speaking countries got together for this campaign and raffled off one or more books among their visitors on World Book Day (April 23). Such actions increase the awareness of a blog among users (visitors).
Personal Blogging
Blogging is still largely carried out by private individuals (personal blogs), but there are currently tendencies towards specializing individual blogs on certain subject areas. In addition to the blogs mentioned above, which specialize in problems related to writing and publishing books, there are blogs that deal with sports topics, healthy eating, philosophical and religious topics, hobbies, etc. This list can be continued indefinitely. Due to the constant presence on the Internet and thus by the public presence, blogging becomes an activity that has a certain influence in a society, especially if a blog has a clear thematic focus and has numerous visitors and subscribers.
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