Types of Blogging Software/Services

Before one can start blogging there life away, they should seriously ask there self what type of blog they intend to have, the type of content and how it should be display on the website. Why should you ask yourself these questions? Because the answer to this question will more or less determine which blogging software and web host you choose to host and build your dream blog.

So here are a few blogging software/service that you can explore or experiment with.

Blogger

Brief Description

This is one of the most popular, easy and free blogging software provided by Google, making it easy to share you ideas to the world through the World Wide Web.

Features

• Customize Template (background, layout, widgets, gadgets etc.).
• Advance editing tools which allows you to change CSS and HTML
• Simple to use Interface.
• Free URL with a Custom Domain option.
• Add videos and photos to post.
• Earn Money through Adsense and Amazon Associates Program.
• Allow readers to leave comments.
• Adding links to other websites.
• Notify readers of new post and a option to customized which user can view those post, giving you full control.
• Blogger is available in 41 different language and a transliteration is available in five indic language.
• Easy to create new pages.
• Posting via mobile device, through secret mail-to-blogger email address and blogger post gadget.
• Multiple Administrative authority so that you can have more that one person contributing to the blog.
• With blogger there is a wide Variety of third party application to enhance you blog functionality and overall professional look.
• Auto Save.
• Exporting and Importing Blog.
• Third party advertising is supported.

Wordpress

Brief Description 

This blogging service is and alternative to the ever popular WordPress.org. The main difference is that WordPress.com gives you free web hosting and a easy to use built-in interface with the pre-install WordPress software ready for you to use.

Features 

• Free web hosting and URL name with Custom Domain Mapping.
• Unlimited data base storage with redundancy.
• Automatic backups and software upgrades.
• Community support forum.
• Multiple themes and plug-ins.
• Multiple administration
• Real time traffic Statistics.
• Ability to block certain users from leaving comments and keys word in comments.
• Supports private and protected blogs.
• Post and Blog ranking service.
• A VIP Program for added features.
• Simple to use interface.
• Exporting and Importing blog.
• Add photos and videos.
• Hyperlink is supported
• Posting via mobile device and other third party programs such as ScribeFire for WordPress which is plugin for Firefox.
• Advertising is supported if you fit a certain criteria 

TypePad

Brief Description

This is more or less a service for small and large businesses which lets you stay up-to-date with your clients and competitors activity. Typepad also helps drive traffic to you blog to extend your product or service public awareness at different levels.

Features 

• Summits you blog to various search engine, such as Google, Technorati, Feedburner etc.
• Professional Themes and designs, with drag and drop tools for ease of use and a theme builder.
• Advance editing tools which allows you to change CSS and HTML
• Support Widgets
• Hyperlink is supported.
• Multiple file format is supported such as video, photo and audio files.
• Posting via mobile device, such as iPhone and iPod touch; palm os; windows mobile 5 & 6 and most other mobile email device.
• Posting via third party programs such as Window Live Writer and ScribeFire.
• Share copy, image, video from other blog or sites search as Youtube and Photobucket to your blog.
• Personalized one-on-one support.
• Hosting Service by a Tier 1 data center.
• Automatic software updates.
• Professional tune up assistance with gives you a comprehensive blog review with recommended suggestions on design, layout SEO, traffic and much more.

SquareSpace

Brief Description This  is a paid service which is not only for bloggers but also for website owners who have little or no experience in programming language. Features

• Over 60 styles designed by brand name designers.
• Fully customizable themes with Favicon customization and full CSS control.
• SEO Optimized.
• Completely custom WYSIWYG editing interface.
• Anti-Spam.
• Built for Podcasting.
• Moblog Support.
• XML-RPC pinging mechanisms to ensure your site is searched by all major search engines as soon as you post.
• Feedburner support.
• Full and real time statistics.
• RSS Subscriber Tracking and media RSS built in.
• Google pagerank tracking.
• Custom Domain Support.
• Full compatibility with all widgets on the web.
• Supports, placing ads on you site.
• Accurate, useful site search.
• Multiple editors.
• Import and export data and XML.
• 24 hours a day, 7 days a week customer support.

LiveJournal

Brief Description

This is a virtual online community where users can maintain a journal, blog or diary. LiveJournal is also the software which is use to maintain the communities, journals, blogs and diaries used by the members. LiveJournal is more or less created for personal and community building and not commercial use.

Features

• Free accounts which can be upgraded to paid accounts at anytime.
• Over 600 themes to pick from.
• Create custom LiveJournal designs.
• IM friends on LiveJournal and other Jabber network
• Moblog supported.
• 2 GB of photo storage space.
• Voice posting.
• Domain Forwarding.
• Create and post polls and surveys.
• Text message notification service without sharing you phone number.
• Searchable FAQs database for support.
• Downloadable platform.
• Export and Importing tools.
• Comment manager.
• View XML/RSS/Atom feeds on friends page.
• Full Privacy control
• Tag and Categorize post.
• Receive a @LiveJournal.com e-mail account.
• Subscribe to comment, new post friends etc.

BlogHarbor

Brief Description

This is a powerful and fully featured easy to use blogging service/software for both the advance user and the beginners, to facilitate all types of bloggers.

Features

• Easy upload and manage digital images with up to 2 GB of storage.
• Domain name mapping and Business class-email.
• Post categorization.
• Importing and exporting articles form other blogs in compress XML format.
• Mobile Blogging supported.
• Multilingual support.
• Create polls and surveys for you blog.
• Slides Show of photo albums.
• Advance website statistics.
• Secure RSS syndication with authentication (to allow different uses with different privilege to read feeds through their newsreaders.
• Display RSS headlines from other website on you blog.
• Multiple blog Editors.
• Automatically ping service.
• Media review templates for easy review of music, movies or any thing that can be reviewed.
• Posting via RSS tools.
• File manager (supports- ZIP, PDF,DOC and any type of files).
• FTP Support.
• Trackback supported.
• Built-in search engine
• Customize CSS and HTML  templates for a unique theme.

 

Blog Glossary/Terms

I think it is very important that before any person intends to get involve in any blogging activity they take it  upon themselves  to get familiar with the various terms. And this post will give you a chance to do just that, bear in mind that these are not all the terms and please feel free to leave comment and any other terms you think should be added to the list please share with me.


Common Terms Listed in random order.

Blog- see What is a Blog?

Blogging- The act of posting or editing entries on a blog

Blogger/blog Author-The person(s) who post/editing or simple control a blog

Web Log- is the antonym for the word blog



Blog Templates/Themes- this is the layout/ design of the blog

Blog Platform-this is the tool/software used to administrate/manage the blog

Blogosphere-is the entire community of blogger  or in other words the world of blogging or blog.

Post/Entry- is a individual article that is publish on a regular basis which makes up the blog.

Video blogger/vlog-this is a blog where to post used takes the form of videos.

Audio blogging-this is where to post take the form of audio.

Flog-also known as a fake blog/flack blog, which main purpose is to create an internet meme that generates traffic and interest to promote a product or service.

Podcasting- is a way of distributing multimedia files via a internet feed, such as RSS

Moblog-is a blog which is being updated via a mobile device such as a cell phone or a PDA device.

Blogcasting- is usually a short multimedia file publish on a blog.

Autocasting- is the automated form of podcasting.

Warblog/milblog- is a blog devoted to discussing or posting information on a ongoing war.

Feeds-are information provided in a way that allows users/readers to get regular updates on the website content

RSS-is basically a type of web feed which mean (Really Simple
Syndication)

Atom Feeds-this is another type of feed in which subscribers can be updated by.

Feed/RSS reader or aggregator - this is the tool(software or website) that processes to feeds making it  accessible to the readers

Subscribers/Follows- these are the people who use the feed, either to leave comments or just to be informed of the updates  

Photofeed- is a type of feed, which contents images and sometimes audio.


Widgets-are codes that can be modified and transferred to add a particular function or look to a website, these codes can come in a number of formats such as HTML ,JavaScript and CSS.  


CAPTCHA- (Completely Automated Public turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart), which is a test to identify the difference between a automated program and a human.

XML-(Extensible Markup language) this is simple a programming language used my many website.  

Category- is a collection of post/entry sharing a common interest or subject.

Plug-in/add-ons- this is usually a optional third party function that can be simple installed to the blogging software.

Dashboard-this is the area of the blogging software, where you navigate from, similar to the home page of a website.

Comment-this is usually a brief note writing by the readers of the blog sharing their opinion on the post/entry

Tag-is somewhat a summarization of what a post content include, which usually takes to form of two to three word or phrase to get the attention of the readers.

Blog Search Engine- simple said, it is a tool use to retrieve information on the Internet from blogs, such as
Technorati and Blog Search Engine.
SEO -Search Engine Optimizer- this is a art/practice of using different methods to increase the ranking of a website on a search engine, to increase visitors to the website.

Forum-a forum can be stand alone website or part of one, which is use for, members to have open discussion on varies topics to add to the development of something.

Website Domain Name- is usually a textual form of the IP address for the purpose of identity on the world wide web    

DNS-Domain Name Server- this is a server used to locate the IP address of a particular website domain name

Domain Mapping-is a common feature provided by most web hosting services which allows its users to point or send information about the address of the domain to another server. usually for the purpose of having there website control or administrated through a different service or web host.

Backlinks- this is a link coming from a different website directed to you own, usually called inward or inbound links.

Hyperlink-this is a link between two web pages or websites that takes the form of a highlighted or underline word or phase.  

Archive- is a category which is usually automatically generating to put the pass post or entry in a particular other,such as by month, year or day.

Open ID- this is a type of identity given to a trusted user for the purpose of administrating the website or blog.

Header-this is the top portion of the website, which usually has the name and slogan of that website along with a unique design.  

Footer- this is at the bottom part of the page, which usually contents information about the author or developers, advertising programs, a link to the about page, privacy or terms and condition and or web feeds.

Sidebar- this is the side of the website where widgets, tag clouds, related post and sometimes a side-blog is placed.

Side-blog- this is a small blog place in the sidebar of a website.

Index page - this is the default page or home page that is display when a website is accessed.

Blogroll- this is a collection of links to different blogs; that the author reads, that he/she recommends to his readers.
    
Blook- this is simple a book creating from the content of a blog or is publish via a blog.

Splog/ spam blog-this where the blogger sole intention is to promote affiliate websites of products, to gain search engine ranks.

Spamming- this is the process of sending e-mails indiscriminately to a particular mailing list, usually to generate awareness of something, such as a new product or service.

Bleg- this is a comment or post  on a blog asking for information or some sort of help.

Blawg- this is a blog written by a legal professional, usually with entries related to the law

Multiblog- to maintain multiple blog with a single blogging software.

Mommy blog-this is a blog written by a mother/parent where the entries posted focus on the home, family and parenting or other related niche.

Permalink- this is a link that point to an entry on a website.

Ping- this is a system which is used to alert a server that a blog as been updated.

Pingback/trackback URL- this is a method used by a blogger to be notified when one of his/her entry is linked by another blogger.

Tag Cloud- this is a collection of tags usually placed at the sidebar of a website in a special design.

Niche- this is a topic you chose to write entries on your blog to satisfy a particular audience.

What is a Blog?

is a type of website derived from the
word web log , which is usually controlled by the blog
administrator also know as a blogger, who regularly post
different types of articles,videos, music and pictures on a
wide variety of topics and events in a reverse chronological
order.

These articles are usually the personal views of the
administrator, which may be read by anyone who
could access the blog.The readers are often given the option
of commenting, asking question and rating the different posts,
these options may vary depending on the objective of the
goal of the blog.

What are the different types of blog?

They are many different types of blog, which can be categorized both by the content and the way in which it was written, and for that reason i will not try to list all, but the most popular.

1.Personal - are the most traditional and common blog. And often times reflect the personally of the blogger, and the majority of the post on these blog contain personal view, experiences, videos, pictures and accomplishments of the blogger, which carry some sentimental value.
             
2.Business and Corporate - these type of blogs are usually controlled by a group or a private entity, which main objective is to allow a specific group of people to be able to read and contribute to the content of the blog, to gather specific information which will be use to improve the entity.

3.Theme/Subject Matter -these are the blogs which concentrate on a particular topic, such as political blog, technology blog, music blog, education and many others. usually the members of these blogs are loyal follows to have and some experience in the particular subject matter or how is will to learn as much as they can about it.

4.Media Types -blogs are categorized based on the type of media or content which is used meet the objective of the blogger.

5.Device-a blog can also be simple classified by the the device or tool used to post the content of the blog.