What is all this blog stuff? What am I supposed to do when I get to this page? What is everyone talking about, and why won’t they shut up about blogs?
That was me up till the day I started my blog. As of the time of writing this, that was exactly 1 month and 12 days ago. I am still learning, but I figure if there is anyone who can teach you what a blog is, it is someone who is just learning herself!
Here’s what I have learned so far:
What is a Blog
Don’t be put off by the word Blog - it is short for Web-log, and that is a piece of irrelevant information everyone seems to think is important. So you can feel free to forget it for now.
Why forget it? Because in most ways, a blog is just like any other website. You can visit, read what’s there, and pass that website along to a friend. You can sign up to get notified when the website is updated, just like you can do at other websites.
Here is the difference:
Unlike most websites, a blog is also a place where we can chat about stuff - a two-way conversation. That is very different from most websites, which are all one-way - they put up the info, and you can read what’s there, and that’s that. At a regular website, if you find a way to contact the people who have the website, you can send them an email and they will answer you, but that doesn’t change the website - that conversation is between you and that person, and that email exchange really has nothing to do with the website itself.
But at a blog, if you want to do more than just read what’s there - if you want to have a discussion about what you see at the blog - you can do that, right there on the website. So instead of sending a private email just to me, a blog is more like hanging out in the living room with friends, sharing stories. That’s because on a blog, when you respond to what you see on the page, your response will actually become part of the website!
How Blogs Work
I don’t usually care how things work - I just want them to work. I don’t want to know how my car works, I just want it to go when I push the gas, and stop when I hit the brake.
For a blog, though, you will need to know just ONE thing about how it works, and how that is different from a regular website. Because it is THE difference.
And that difference is that with a blog, you don’t need a programmer to get something onto the website. You can do it yourself. And don’t make that face - yes, you! (I’m a mom - I can see that face miles away!)
Regular websites, the ones you are used to - the ones that are not blogs - work pretty much how our Help 4 NonProfits website works. (If you want to see that site, just click here.) And while a website may look like all that stuff just magically appears there, here is, in fact, how all those articles at the Help 4 NonProfits library get there:
1: I write an article.
2: I email it to Dimitri.
3: He formats the articles in a special program for making web sites.
4: Then he posts the article to the website.
5: I look at that article online, and usually, I find something I want to change.
6: I block what I see on the screen, and I copy and paste that text into an email
7: In that email, I edit that text.
8: Then I send that email with the changes to Dimitri.
9: He then posts those changes to the site.
10 to infinity: Repeat as needed (and usually that means it is repeated a lot, unfortunately)
That is NOT how the blog works. (You can tell why Dimitri wanted me to do this!)
With a blog, I go to a box right there in the blog, and I type what I want to say. Then I click “post it.” And that’s it. Really.
If I want to edit it, I do it. Not Dimitri, not through an email, not sending it back and forth - I go to my own edit box and I just type, just like you would type an email.
It works the same with your comments. That’s why I mentioned above that we can have a conversation, because not only can I post things to the site directly, so can you.
So if you read something and strongly disagree, or it makes you think of something funny, or you just want to say, “Right on!” or “That happened to me!”, you can do it right there. You who knows absolutely nothing about websites and is afraid you will hit the wrong button and it will explode - (Ok, you are not all my mother, but I do know she is reading this!) - YOU can post your own comment, directly onto the website.
That is why a blog can create a conversation, and that’s why it is exciting!
Try it right now.
We have set up a post that is just for you to learn on. Click right here for a post called “Blogs Confuse Me.” Under the post you will see the word “Comment.” Click on the word “Comment” and a new screen will pop up - on that screen will be other people’s comments. Scroll down and you will see a box where you can type in your name, email address and your own comment. Type your comment, and hit Submit.
Your comment will not instantly appear, because at this site, we intervene first, to be sure a comment isn’t spam. But check back later, and go to that post - you will see that your comment is there! (To find that post later, all you need to do is go to the category marked “Learning About Blogging” in the right-hand column, and look for the posting called “Blogs Confuse Me.”)
You can do that with any post. If you read a post and find it to be intriguing or amusing or dumb, you can click on “comment” and do just what you just did at that test post.
Joining the Conversation
Once you start reading, you will see that blogs often start conversations. Folks get to know each other. If you’ve been involved in other forms of online discussion groups, you know that the internet is a great place to meet people who share your interests, from all over the world. That is what you will find here.
This site - this blog - is about the work we are doing to create a better future for our world. If you have thoughts about how we can create a better world, this will be a great place to share those thoughts. And we welcome you to the conversation!
Check It Out
As you check out this website - this blog - here is what you will find.
The post at the top of the home page will always be the most recent post. Under that post, you will find a few of the most recent prior posts as well.
Then if you are interested in reading even more, there are two ways to do that, and they are both through the links in the right-hand column.
First, you will see the word “Categories.” That is the table of contents of stuff I’ve written about so far. Click on those headings, and you will find posts on those topics, and then comments from folks about what I wrote.
The second way to go back and read other posts is also in that right-hand column, where you will see a list of the most recent posts I’ve written.
Also in that right-hand column, you will see something that says “Blogroll.” That is a list of other blogs I like and think you might like also. Once you get used to mine, venture out a bit! I imagine that list will grow as I, too, get more used to the world of blogs!
We also have links to resources that you might find interesting. I imagine that list will grow as well.
Coming Back When Things are New
One more thing: You don’t have to always check back to see if there is anything new here. Just sign up to be notified when the site is updated, and you will get an email that lets you know there is a new post. That email will show you the first line or 2 of the post, so you know if you want to read more.
To sign up to be notified by email, just click on the link at the top of the right-hand column that says Subscribe by Email. You can ignore the other button that says “Subscribe in a Reader” - that button is for people who do not need this note!
As you get more and more used to finding information at blogs, you can sign up to also receive notification when someone posts a comment. Sometimes if a conversation is really heated, you may want to know when someone posts a comment to that conversation - but that’s for when you get a little better at this blog thing!
Still Confused?
Just go back to that post called Blogs Confuse Me. You will find it by clicking on the category marked “Leaning About Blogging” over there on the right-hand column. If we are just friends hanging out in the living room, somebody should be able to say, “Blogs confuse me!” and have a kindly explanation from someone who once was as confused as you. So if you are still WAY confused, just click here , and send us your question. And we will figure out how to get you unconfused!
That’s all! We hope you enjoy what you find here. And please let me know what you think by sending a comment to any of the posts you find. I look forward to our hanging out together!
