What’s a blog? Some explanations of RSS and the like
Blogging may be successful today, however it seems there’s still some elements of blogging that are not clear to all. So here are some definitions of terms and how tos.
A blog: an interactive journal
- A blog is simply a site for articles that is very easy to edit because a tool is provided to the editor to create the site template ( the look and feel) , the pages, the categories on the site.
- It is also unique compared to a plain old site in that it enables users to post comments to the articles, and enables the owner(s) of the blog to moderate those comments.
They don’t have to be published instantly therefore. They can if desired only appear once they’ve been validated by the site owner. How nice, no?
- Another nice aspect of blogging platforms is what is called ‘ RSS’. This is an obscure way to say a subscription to articles on the site.
It’s a way for readers of a blog to follow new posts without having to go to the blog address regularly. The same way you subscribe to an online newsletter or to a paper magazine, you can subscribe to a blog! Where it says RSS or RSS 2 on the blog, you just click and you’ll see the options offered. In Firefox, one simple option is to use ‘ live bookmarks’ to follow a blog’s activity.
You can also install a tool to receive all your ‘blog feeds’ ( or subscriptions to posts) called a feed agregator or feed reader.
Popular Feed Readers
Applications
- NewsGator - FeedDemon 2.0
(Windows, more info) - NewsGator - Inbox for Microsoft Outlook
(Windows) - NewsGator - NetNewsWire
(OS X) - Firefox
(via “Live Bookmarks” feature) - Safari
(feed support in the Apple OS X native browser) - Pulp Fiction
(OS X)
Or use online readers provided by our dear old Google, Yahoo and others:
Online Services
What I find a little troublesome about using on line services rather than an application on your computer relates to privacy concerns. Again, you’re telling these sites exactly what you’re interested in reading about on a daily basis. I don’t know if I want to get that close with them?
- The WordPress platform is one of the most well known free web blogging platform, especially for people like me who already have a hosting account for their site. But you can also have your blog hosted on Wordpress.com if desired. DotClear is another very good French designed alternative, even though its name doesn’t indicate that.
- There are tons of blogging platforms that will host your blog for you, free or for a fee, from TypePad to Blogger to MovableType. The web has comparisons on the benefits of each when you type ‘ blog platform comparison’.
-> WordPress.com self-hosted blogging platform and basic blog hosting platform
-> DotClear self-hosted blogging platform- No blog hosting provided. Documentation still largely in French.
