A weblog (or simply blog) is a website that ‘publishes’ or features articles (which are called ‘blog posts’, ‘posts’, or ‘entries’), written by an individual or a group that make use of any or a combination of the following:

·Straight texts ·Photographs or images (photoblog) ·Video (videoblog) ·Audio files (audioblog) ·Hyperlinks

Usually presented and arranged in reverse chronological order, blogs are essentially used for the following purposes:

·Online journal or a web diary ·Content managament system ·Online publishing platform

A typical blog has the following components:

·Post date -the date and time of the blog entry

·Category – the category that the blog belongs to

·Title – the title of the blog

·Main body – the main content of the blog

·RSS and trackback – links the blog back from other sites

·Comments – commentaries that are added by readers

·Permalinks – the URL of the full article

·Other optional items – calendar, archives, blogrolls, and add-ons or plug-ins

A blog can also have a footer, usually found at the bottom of the blog, that shows the post date, the author, the category, and the ’stats’ (the nubmer of comments or trackbacks).

There are numerous types of blogs. Some of them are the following:

1. Political blog – on news, politics, activism, and other issue based blogs (such as campaigning).

2. Personal blog – also known as online diary that may include an individual’s day-to-day experience, complaints, poems, and illicit thoughts, and communications between friends.

3. Topical blog – with focus either on a particular niche (function or position) that is usually technical in nature or a local information.

4. Health blog – on specific health issues. Medical blog is a major category of health blog that features medical news from health care professionals and/or actual patient cases.

5. Literary blog – also known as litblog.

6. Travel blog – with focus on a traveler’s stories on a particular journey.

7. Research blog – on academic issues such as research notes.

8. Legal blog – on law (technical areas) and legal affairs; also known as ‘blawgs’.

9. Media blog – focus on falsehoods or inconsistencies in mass media; usually exclusive for a newspaper or a television network.

10. Religious blog – on religious topics

11. Educational blog – on educational applications, usually written by students and teachers.

12. Collaborative or collective blog – a specific topic written by a group of people.

13. Directory blog – contains a collection of numerous web sites.

14. Business blog – used by entrepreneurs and corporate employees to promote their businesses or talk about their work.

15. Personification blog – focus on non-human being or objects (such as dogs).

16. Spam blogs – used for promoting affiliated websites; also known as ’splogs’.

Blogging is typically done on a regular (almost daily) basis. The term “blogging” refers to the act of authoring, maintaining, or adding an article to an existing blog, while the term “blogger” refers to a person or a group who keeps a blog.

Today, more than 3 million blogs can be found in the Internet. This figure is continuously growing, as the availability of various blog software, tools, and other applications make it easier for just about anyone to update or maintain the blog (even those with little or no technical background). Because of this trend, bloggers can now be categorized into 4 main types:

·Personal bloggers – people who focus on a diary or on any topic that an individual feels strongly about.

·Business bloggers – people who focus on promoting products and services.

·Organizational bloggers – people who focus on internal or external communication in an organization or a community.

·Professional bloggers – people who are hired or paid to do blogging.

Problogging (professional blogging) refers to blogging for a profit. Probloggers (professional bloggers) are people who make money from blogging (as an individual blog publisher or a hired blogger).

Below are just some of the many money-making opportunities for probloggers:

·Advertising programs ·RSS advertising ·Sponsorship ·Affiliate Programs ·Digital assets ·Blog network writing gigs ·Business blog writing gigs ·Non blogging writing gigs ·Donations ·Flipping blogs ·Merchandising ·Consulting and speaking

The following are a few things that you need to consider if you want to be successful in problogging:

1. Be patient. Problogging requires a lot of time and effort, not to mention a long-term vision.

2. Know your audience. Targeting a specific audience or group is a key to building a readership.

3. Be an ‘expert’. Focus on a specific niche topic and strive to be the “go-to” blogger on that topic.

4. Diversify. Experiment with various add and affiliate programs that enable you to make money online (aside from blogging).

5. Do not bore your readers. Focus on the layout. White spaces, line spacings, and bigger fonts make a blog welcoming to read.

Certainly, it is possible to earn money from blogs. One just needs to take risks, the passion, and the right attitude in order to be a successful problogger.

The times when you had to go around town from travel agency to travel agency in order to compare prices and services seem light years away. It is as pointless as going headlong for the first holiday deal you can find. Nowadays, not only do you have a lot of travel information at your disposal, but also it also comes neatly organized, thanks to the appearance of travel directory resources.

One of the most important sections of any travel directory is the one that includes travel website reviews. This goes both ways. If you think you have had a travel experience which is worth sharing and which may be useful for other fellow travelers, you have the option of submitting an article. In this manner, everyone has access to your unique point of view about a certain place or itinerary, and you would be amazed at how that particular piece of information you have to offer may be of great use to others.

Travel website reviews are also extremely useful if you are about to embark on a trip. You can either browse chaotically through whatever you can find, read general reviews about sites that offer trips to in a certain area before making a decision, or simply do a lot of specific reading on a particular place, prior to visiting it.

This way, the likelihood of being unpleasantly surprised when you get there is extremely low. If you think that some travel website reviews have not covered everything you want to know about a certain page, a simple search will most likely reveal hundreds of reviews for the same thing – you will be sure to find what you are searching.

Sometimes, travel articles are organized into travel blogs. Almost every travel directory offers this feature to the wide public. It is extremely useful, particularly in the case where you realize that a certain traveler or group of travelers offers comprehensive information on the visited places. This way, you have access to their point of view concerning several spots, all efficiently organized and within your immediate reach.

If you are the owner of a site offering travel information, you can also make use of the add travel URL option. This is a great way to make your page better known to the public and use online advertising methods at their best. Another amazing option is a traveling directory that can offer links to photos. Such a feature cannot give you a full idea on a certain place alone, without reading, but after all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes, photos are also available on travel blogs, and they speak for themselves quite successfully. In many cases, people decide to visit a certain place because a single photo has had a strong impact on them.

A travel directory also usually has a travel news section. Its purpose is to offer perfectly objective information concerning the changes that have intervened in popular holiday locations, and you might want to keep an eye on this section. It may just contain something about your place of interest. With travel website reviews and everything else at your fingertip, you are sure to have a smashing vacation.

Remember when you just had to run to your friend’s house down the street to let them know that you wanted to play? Or when you had to plan days in advance what time your mom would pick you up from soccer practice? Even when you had to hit flash to switch over when someone beeped in on your phone? Before the days of communicating with technological ease, we were all used to some more primitive methods. But there are still even more new ways to get in touch and keep in touch, as well as the older, dependable ones that are still around.

Even though it’s already been around for years, the classic email is still a much-loved method of contact. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks made us love hearing “You’ve Got Mail” every time we open our email accounts. Particularly for people living far away or traveling, the tried and true email will always be utilized to keep in touch.

Akin to email is the eCard, a new wave of greeting cards. Did you forget to send you mom a birthday present in time? Pick out a touching card to send straight to her email account. And you can even customize these animated gifts of love and thoughtfulness with your own message. ECards are also perfect for every day use. You can cheer up someone’s bad day, or just let someone know that you’re thinking about them. The best part is that it’s just like a regular email; you don’t have to enable a special service to receive and view them.

The majority of people today own cell phones. But even more popular than just calling, it’s texting that has become the practice of choice, mainly because it’s much more conspicuous than talking on your phone. Bored during class? Text your best friend! What about when you’re at work and need to make plans for the night? Texting lets you send the same message to whoever you want, all at the same time. Now there are even picture messages, when something is too great not to share visually with someone.

A lesser known feature of text messaging is the quick message. You can make a personalized message and save it on your phone to use whenever you want. Maybe you and your sister have an inside joke that puts you into hysterics every time you say it. Type it into your phone, save it in your quick messages, and have it ready to send whenever you want.

Instant messaging is another classic method of chatting with your friends. Most of us can remember spending hours online after school with fifteen chat box windows open, hearing the sound bytes of doors opening and closing as people signed on and off of our Buddy List. Composing the perfect Away Message could take hours, because you knew everyone important would check it to see what you were doing. Believe it or not, this communication technique is definitely still around and still being used to communicate with friends and loved ones.

When you need a more detailed account of someone’s life, or when someone is requesting more information about yours, try a blog. Blogging is a great new way to give people insights into your everyday life, complete with pictures and all. A wedding blog can be a great way to let people know how the planning is coming, where the events will be, and where you have registered. Or keep a travel blog while you’re on vacation. Instead of putting all your pictures in a box never to be scrapbooked and shared, you can post them daily on your blog. It’s as personal as keeping a journal, but can help others stay updated on your life.

No matter how convenient these methods of communication are, some things are still better when done face-to-face. So next time you are tempted to break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend in a text message, think back to a simpler time, and don’t be a coward. And don’t let someone know that you’re angry at them by bashing them in your blog. All these advances are meant to increase communication, not make it more complicated.