There are both commercial and personal blogs on the internet. In this practical guide, we explain exactly what a blog is and how it differs from a website.
Blogs and blog providers
A blog is essentially a kind of online journal. The author of a blog generally writes their own articles at regular intervals, which can be viewed online.
- A blog usually involves the author writing down their own thoughts and publishing them. These may relate to a specific topic or be of a more general nature.
- The author of a blog usually posts entries in chronological order. The articles are sorted by date of publication. Occasionally, there is also a comments section for visitors to the blog.
- There are various providers of web blogs on the internet, such as blogger.com, wordpress.com and tumblr.com
Types of web blogs
In addition to the major blog providers mentioned above, there are also blogs hosted on the owners’ own domains. These include not only private individuals but also large companies and, for example, associations.
- Certain elements of a blog are also found on social networks: for example, Twitter is a microblogging platform. It is also possible to write your own thoughts on Facebook and share them with an audience.
- Furthermore, a blog author can include images in their posts. Posts are often linked to external websites, for example.
- Video blogs are also becoming increasingly common: travellers, for example, often report on the places they have visited by supplementing their posts with illustrative videos.
Blog vs. website – here are the differences
Whilst a website usually displays static content, a blog is an interactive and dynamic medium. From a technical perspective, blogs and websites are identical: content is generated using HTML documents, the layout is usually designed using CSS, and special applications are integrated via JavaScript or PHP.
- Companies use their websites to present themselves, publish prices or products, and provide other information that remains valid for a long time.
- On a blog, on the other hand, you report on company news, such as staff changes or anniversaries, and announce new products or promotions.
