What are weblogs?

Published: October 2, 2002
Updated: October 2, 2002

What are weblogs?

Posted by Dave Winer, 11/16/01 at 9:43:34 AM.

This is a perennial debate—everyone wants to know what a weblog is, and how to compare the tools used to make weblogs, and how to understand what makes weblogs different from journals, newspaper websites, and directories.

What are weblogs?

Personal Web Publishing Communities

    Four very key words. Let’s go through them one by one.

  1. A weblog is personal—it’s done by a person, not an organization. You see a personality. It’s not washed-out and normed-up, the bizarre shows through. That’s why weblogs are interesting.

    2.  

  2. A weblog is on the Web—it doesn’t get printed, it can be updated frequently, it’s very low cost to produce, and it can be accessed through a Web browser.

    3.  

  3. A weblog is published—words flow through templates, the process is automated, the writer and designer are elevated. There’s also a possibility of using advanced writing tools, and syndication through RSS. In other words, technology applies to weblogs, publishing technology.

    4.  

  4. And finally, a weblog is part of communities. No weblog stands alone, they are relative to each other and to the world. The Link and Think project, as an example, is part of the weblog community and part of the World AIDS Day community. My weblog, Scripting News, is part of the weblog community and part of the community of independent developers, particularly those using scripting environments. The same can be said of most weblogs that gain audiences, they connect people together using the Web through common interests.

      Dave Winer, 11/16/01

Contact Me Copyright © 2001 – 2024 All Rights Reserved royby.com
crosschevron-down