Social Media Dictionary: Basic Blogging Terms You Should Know
In preparation for my talk in DC on Thursday, I was asked to compile this list of blog terminology. Here you go:
Archives: Blogs can be sorted into a date or theme-based archive so readers can find older information easily.
Authors: The people who write the blog posts. There can be one or more authors for a single blog. A blogger can also invite guest authors.
Blog: Web Log. A journal that is on the internet that is chronologically ordered.
Blogroll: A list of related blogs that a blogger is promoting on his or her blog that he or she finds interesting or useful. Blogrolls promote reciprocity and increased readership.
Categories: The subjects into which blogposts can be categorized. Readers can then focus on topics that most interest them.
Comments: Short text messages in response to blog posts, left by readers. Comments encourage interaction and conversation.
Header: Graphic at the top of the blog that displays the name of the blog, often includes a logo or other visual element. Is visible on every page of the blog.
Permalinks: Short for “permanent link”. Each time a blogger adds a post to his or her blog, that post typically appears on the blog’s home page. At the same time, blog software creates a permalink page to contain only that blog post and its comments. Permalink pages are why blogs do so well with search engines. Every post adds a new page to your blog website and provides another opportunity for your blog to come up as a search result.
Post or entry: Each time a blogger updates the blog, he or she creates a blog post or entry, which is added to the blog.
RSS Feed Link: RSS is Really Simple Syndication. Readers can use RSS to subscribe to your blog by using a newsreader, like Google Reader. From a newsreader phone app or website, he or she can read the latest updates from several blogs in one place, without having to visit each and every blog every day.
Sidebar: Most blogs are laid out into two or three columns, with the middle column being the largest and containing the blog posts themselves. The other columns or sidebars can contain peripheral information, latest tweets, most popular posts, author pictures, archives, blogrolls, search windows, share buttons, and links to Twitter account, Facebook page, and/or firm website.
SOURCE: Blogging for Dummies, Bair, Amy Lupold & Gardner, Susannah (2014 5th edition)