There are many answers for this short question. And we’re just getting started. That’s why I often compare blogs to WD40. Here are some attempts at answering the question (with what I consider the money quote):
- Just What is a Blog Anyway? by Michael Conniff at USC Anneberg’s Online Journalism Review "Defining blogs is neither the first nor the last act in the ongoing attempt to understand the particulars of the latest online eruption."
- What is a Blog? by The Weblog Project - "The first open-source movie documentary about blogs and bloggers." Vlogs about Blogs.
- When is a Blog Really a Blog? by Elizabeth Albrycht at CorporatePR: "We are looking here at a 3-part (at least) definition:1) based on author characteristics; 2) based on the tool and what it enables (comments, trackbacks) and 3) based on the audience."
- What is a Blog? Bag the Stereotypes by Amy Gahran at Contentious:"Too often, blogs are primarily described or defined as personal online diaries. While it’s true that many blogs are personal ramblings about daily life, that is only one aspect of the blogosphere – and a fairly trivial one at that."
- What IS a Blog? by Dave Taylor at Ask Dave Taylor: "A blog isn’t what everyone thinks it is."
- What is a Blog? by Mark White at Better Business Blogging "A blog is effectively a special type of website which has allowed people who previously had no real access to publishing on the web to write and express their own opinions. There are also now very important marketing tools for businesses."
- What is a Blog? by Rachel Cunliffe at Cre8d Design "A blog gives you the ability to have your voice be heard.
Rachel’s point leads us to one of my favorite thoughts on the subject, Jeremiah Owyang’s Why Blogs are NOT Important.
While most of the above definitions define blogs for business use, let’s not forget how the tool should be used – as a way to communicate interactively with others, whether they be your customers or your colleagues, your prospects or your posse.
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