ForMinistry Web_builder Tip: Intro to Blogging

What in the World is Blogging?

A whole new, blogging world

The internet world continues to change and transform as people find new ways to connect and communicate with each other. It didn't seem that long ago when Hotmail gave us the freedom of free internet email. Now there is Xanga, MySpace, Friendster... and the world of weblogs.

A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is a shortened form of weblog or web log.

A blog can consist of:

  • text
  • hypertext
  • images
  • links

Most blogs will center around a specific topic or area of interest. Blogs can be thought of as a personal journal on the web. The draw and popularity of the blog comes not only from the simplicity of use and availability, but in the freedom to hear from people around the world about specific topics and let your own thoughts and feelings be known as well.

There are several different blogging software tools available such as:

The latest invention in the blogging world are podcasts. A podcast (according to wikipedia.com) is a web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to download or subscribe to, and also the content of that feed. Podcasting's essence is about creating content (audio or video) for an audience that wants to listen when they want, where they want, and how they want.

A great resource to find a blog on your topic of interest would be Google:

http://www.google.com/blogsearch

As you think about your ministry and community, consider how you can get involved in weblogs - as a catalyst for connection, for information, and for resources. Here are a couple of articles to get you started:

 

Book Recommendations on Blogging

The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog, by Rebecca Blood

Boasting a foreword by Blood, a web consultant and creator of Rebecca's Pocket weblog, We've Got Blog is a collection of 34 essays that explore this rapidly growing trend. Contributors include such noted bloggers as Joe Clark, Cameron Barrett, and Giles Turnbull. The discussion covers the history and community of weblogs, contrasts weblogs and traditional journalism, and offers advice on starting a weblog. If you have been following weblogs for the past few years you've probably come across many of these articles online, but having them available in one collection gives them context.

 

Blogging: Genius Strategies for Instant Web Content, by Biz Stone

Turn your home page into a microportal with fresh content that will keep readers coming back. The first hands-on book on building blogs, this is an excellent tutorial for new bloggers, and includes many advanced techniques for veteran bloggers. Simply put, web logging, known as blogging, is an easy way of updating a web page via a browser without the hassle of launching an FTP client or HTML editor. With all the templates, add-ons, and extra features associated with building this microportal, the blog is a new take on the home page.

 

Great Ministry and Technology Blogging Sites

Please visit these other websites and blogs about online ministry & technology:

 

Until next time...
Henry Kay, web_builder host

Contact me at support@forministry.com


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