Blogs have become ever so much more than just on-line journals and forums for commentary and banter. However, before you blog there are several factors that need to be determined. What is the purpose of your blog: personal, business, or organizational? Deciding its purpose will help to determine what your needs are, as you choose which tools will best further your blogging endeavor.

These tools include choosing the blogging software or website that will best suit your needs, as well as learning how to promote your blog. Of course there are lessons to be learned, including basic online etiquette, reputation, and privacy issues, as well as what to avoid in your blogging venture. A blog can indeed be a helpful method of expression for anyone, but it is important to have a basic understanding of the basics of blogging.

What's a Blog?

First of all, what does the word "blog" mean? It's short for "weblog." It's a journal you can write in online, often making the journaling process more accessible and acceptable for those who may have never used a paper journal, and creating another venting and writing avenue for those who write every moment they can, even when their paper journal isn't easily accessible.

Some use blogs to keep in touch with friends and family, as well as make new friends. Another very popular use for blogs is for professionals to interact with readers. Many authors use blogs to jot down their ideas, get feedback, and build up a strong readership.

Some blogging services will allow you the choice of how private or public you want to be by how you screen your entries. A few examples of sites that offer these options include Xanga.com and LiveJournal.com, among others. Depending on the content, you can choose different options for different entries. If you are sharing baby photos and only want family and friends to see, then you can make that entry "protected" or "friends-only," and only those who subscribe to your blog will have access to those entries.

Of course, this often means that family and friends will have to be members just to view these protected entries. Many websites that are popular for personal blogging offer these three options:

Public: Anyone who comes across your blog can read these entries.

Protected/Friends-only: Only those who you have added to a "safe" list can view these entries.

Private: No one but you can read these entries (unless you forget to log out, in which case others with access to your computer can read these, as well).

Other blogging sites that are popular for professional usage do not have these privacy options, but they do have comment filtering. You can determine whether or not you want to allow anonymous comments, screen them, and even ban users who leave offensive comments. Posts can also have comments turned off, so that people may read, but not comment. A few examples of sites that offer these options include Blogger.com, Typepad, and MoveableType, among others.