The Pros and Cons of Video Blogging

Video blogging has a lot of advantages over text-based
blogging, and it is little wonder that this new
technology is catching on all over the globe. Video
blogs very effectively grab the attention of web surfers,
and people are much more likely to become excited
about the dynamic content of a video blog than they are
likely to find a written posting very thrilling. The more
enthusiastic viewers are about a site, the quicker the
word of mouth spreads, and the more traffic the site will
get.

Of course, there are plenty of disadvantages to video
blogging as well. Hosting a v-blog requires quite a bit
of server space, which can make it difficult to get
started. It takes more time to process and upload a video
file than it does to dash off a quick bit of text, which
means that running and updating a video blog can be
quite a bit of work. In addition, web surfers sometimes
grow frustrated with the slow loading times of the files
on many video blogs. Whether you opt for a video blog
or not depends on what kind of subject matter you want
to cover, and how much time you can devote to video
blogging. Before you decide to pursue a video blog,
consider if there is an easier way for you to get your
message across.

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Learning How to Make Money Blogging

There are two major types of business models that
entrepreneurs use to make money blogging. The first
and most common way to turn a blog into a profit
making machine is to sell advertising to different
companies and brands who want to reach that blog's
readers. The second kind of money making blog is one
that helps a single brand improve its image by creating
positive associations between the blog and the product
in the mind of consumers. Both kinds of blogs can
make a lot of money, especially if the creator has a keen
mind for marketing.

If you are blogging with the goal of selling advertising,
there are two basic ways that you can go about
recruiting sponsors who want to put ads on your site;
you can let someone else do all of the legwork, or you
can do the work yourself and keep all of the revenue.
Within the first group, many people make money
blogging by selling space through Google's AdSense
program. The advantages of this program are numerous,
as it requires very little effort on the part of the blogger
or webmaster to begin raking in profits. However, most
people discover that they make less money through this
method than they had hoped that their blog would earn.

Selling advertising directly to companies who want to
put banner ads or sponsored links on your blog can take
quite a bit of time, but it is often fairly lucrative. If you
have a lot of contacts in industries that are related to the
topic of your blog, you may want to try to go this route.
People who have a strong background in sales and are
experienced at pitching proposals can make quite a bit
of money by renting blog space to interested companies.
The most serious problem with this model is that you
often have to build quite a sizable readership before you
can attract advertisers, which can mean that you have to
do several months of work before you start to make
money blogging.

As blogging becomes a more and more lucrative
business, a lot of established companies are considering
how they can get into the action. One way that
companies are capitalizing on the blog movement is by
having blogs that provide a kind of friendly face for
their corporation. Often, a company will employ an
established blogger to create a weblog designed
specifically to appeal to that company's customers and
to create positive associations with the brand in
consumers' minds. More than one writer who never
even dreamed that he or she could make money
blogging has been approached by a company and
offered quite a pretty penny for this kind of gig.

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To Join a Blogging Site or Not to Join

Joining an established blogging site like live journal or
blogger has plenty of advantages, especially for the blog
novice. Sites that host a lot of different blogs often have
very useful tutorials about building and updating your
blog, and you are likely to encounter a very user-
friendly software interface at an established blogging
site. In addition, these sites provide a kind of instant
community of fellow bloggers who can provide advice,
insight, and feedback. These established sites often
keep directories of their members, which can be great
news for your traffic logs because it means that other
bloggers on the site will find out about your pages.

However, there are also some downsides to linking up
with a large blogging site. By posting within the
established templates of a site like blogger, you run the
risk of having your blog look and feel like everybody
else's. The blogging movement is very much about the
creation of distinctive sites and the development of
individual voices, so it makes plenty of sense that many
bloggers would shy away from the cookie-cutter look
and feel that these blogging sites often promote. Many
bloggers feel that the content of a blog is what makes it
distinctive, not the look of the blog, but many members
of the blogging community feel that the visual impact
of a blog should match the originality of the writing.

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Personal Blogging, Documentary, and History

Personal Blogging, Documentary, and History

When it comes to personal blogging, documentary is

the default genre. There are plenty of blogs that serve

other functions, but many blogs are primarily catalogues

of the life experiences of their author. Although there

are quite a few blogs that focus on collecting poetry and

other forms of creative writing, the vast majority of

personal blogs are in some sense documentaries.

For many years, the act of making a documentary was

meant to be an objective act of reporting the sights and

sounds that the filmmaker, writer, or photographer

encountered. However, in contemporary times there has

been a movement towards embracing the subjectivity

inherent in the documentary form. This means that

modern documentaries often reflect the distinctive

voice and sensibility of their creator, and the fact that

todays documentaries often revolve around personality

blurs the lines between documentary and memoir. Blogs

rest somewhere between these two genres, muddying

the distinctions even further. Personal blogging,

documentary, and memoir are now irrevocably

intertwined, for better or for worse.

Although few bloggers think of themselves as making

documentaries in any formal sense, every time

somebody sits down in front of a computer and types up

a record of their day, they are documenting their own

historical moment. The things that we take for granted

about our daily lives, like the way that we use specific

modes of transportation, or the kinds of products that

we buy, often seem quite fascinating to people who live

in circumstances different from ours, and it is this kind

of fascination that is at the heart of many documentary

projects. When people think about blogging,

documentary is not very likely to be the first adjective

that crosses their minds, but a few decades down the

road it is very likely that todays blogs will be seen

primarily as very subjective documentaries of our era.

The people of tomorrow will almost certainly look to

the blogs of today for insight into our historical

moment.

When it comes to blogging, documentary may not be

the aim of most people who spend their time posting

their thoughts and ideas on the internet. In some ways,

the documentary aspect of blogging is more of a side

effect than a primary goal. However, the fact that so

many people are interested in publishing these public

online diaries shows that personal blogs are about more

than just rumination. The fact that bloggers are so

stimulated by and interested in sharing their ideas with

each other reinforces the idea that personal blogs are, in

some ways, documentaries meant for public

consumption. Documentaries appeal to people who are

curious about other ways of life, and many people who

regularly read others personal blogs are looking for this

same kind of new perspective.

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ASP.NET Blogging Software

 ASP.NET Blogging Software

Of all of the different kinds of programs on the market
today, many people feel that Microsoft's recently
released ASP.NET blogging software is the most
advanced. In many ways, this particular program is
more adaptable and more versatile than any other
blogging software on the market. Although most of the
people who favor the program are accomplished coders
who are familiar with programming languages like html
and C++, this new program from Microsoft is much
easier to use than a lot of other blog design software
that incorporates hands-on coding. One of the things
that makes ASP.NET stand apart from its competitors is
the fact that it allows designers to use a wide variety of
programming languages when they build a blog. This
means that a larger number of coders can realize their
dreams by programming in the language with which
they are most familiar and in which they are most
accomplished.

A lot of people have welcomed ASP.NET blogging
software with enthusiasm and with open arms.
However, that doesn't mean that the ASP.NET program
is right for everybody. If you are not familiar with
computer languages like javascript or perl, you may
find that the release of ASP.NET does not directly
affect you at all. However, if you are an experienced
web designer, you are likely to find much to celebrate in
this exciting new program.

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Choosing The Right Free Blogging Tools

There are many free blogging tools on the market, but
loading up your blog with all of the free accessories that
you can find isn't necessarily a good idea. While it may
be tempting to add a visitor counter, a flashy
background, an exciting new font, and a cluster of
quirky animated gifs to your blog, this kind of plan can
easily backfire. The key to getting the most from free
blog tools is being selective.

It is a great idea to learn about all of the kinds of free
blogging tools that are available so that you can make
an informed decision about what to add to your blog,
but try to remember that just because you can have
something doesn't mean that you need it. Practice
restraint and only choose the options that you think will
really be useful. If you can find out how many visitors
are reading your blog by checking your traffic statistics,
a visitor counter is likely to add unnecessary clutter to
your page. If your blog is text-based, a flashy
background can be more of a distraction than an benefit.
Be realistic about assessing what kinds of blog
accessories will help you realize your vision and
improve your site. Remember that even a blog tool that
doesn't cost you any cash may not be an asset in the
long run.

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Blogging News Stories as They Happen

Blogging news stories as they unfold is one of the most
exciting and controversial applications of technology
that bloggers have discovered. One thing that makes the
blogosphere so active is the fact that it is possible to
update a blog instantaneously, so the news on blogs
tends to be more current than the news in the paper, or
on television. Unlike news delivered by these other
media, news that appears on blogs does not have to
travel through a series of editors and administrators
before it reaches the public eye. This has some
advantages, and some distinct disadvantages.

One of the most notable cases of news hitting a blog
before appearing in other media took place in July 2005
when terrorism struck London. As passengers were
evacuated from a subway car near an explosion, one
man took several photographs of the scene with his
cellular phone, and within an hour these images were
posted online. First-person accounts of the catastrophe
began appearing on blogs soon after these photos
appeared, and people all over the world learned about
the events in London by reading the words and seeing
the photos posted by bloggers.

The fact that these stories and images were being spread
directly by individuals operating without the added
filter of a reporter helped to make the crisis feel very
immediate to people across the globe. When it comes to
blogging, news often appears in a very personal context.
This has the potential to be the beginning of an exciting
new era of reporting, one that takes "New Journalism"
to it's logical next step by putting the power to shape
how the news is written and read directly into the hands
of the public.

Many bloggers and cultural commentators who are
champions of the weblog movement feel that this
growing trend of individuals who getting their news
from blogs is a good thing, because it makes the flow of
information more democratic. By decentralizing the
control of news, blogs allow more voices to enter the
field of debate about important current events.
However, many people are adamantly opposed to the
use of blogs as news outlets, and there are plenty of
good arguments on this side of the debate. Unlike
newspapers or television stations, few blogs have fact-
checkers, and there is little attention paid to journalistic
accountability on many blogs. This can lead to the rapid
spread of misinformation, and more than one falsehood
has taken the blogosphere by storm. The questions
about whether blogging news as it happens is ethical or
not are very complicated, but no matter where you stand
on the topic of current events blogs you are almost sure
to agree that this movement has the potential to
revolutionize how modern people get their news.

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Blogging For Business Owners

If you run a small company, you may find that the world
of blogging for business owners is a world that you
want to be a part of. Blogging is a great way to get the
word out to consumers about your product or service,
and it can even be useful for inspiring employee loyalty
and helping you keep your workers at peak morale. If
you are looking for a way to take your business to the
next level, consider what starting a blog might be able
to do for you.

Blogging for business owners has a lot in common with
all other types of blogging, but it has its own unique
pitfalls and strengths. The key to having a successful
blog as a business owner is keeping your goals clear
and concrete at every step of your blogging adventure. It
can be all to easy to get sidetracked, especially if you
are just learning about the exciting possibilities of
blogging technology, but if you want your blog to
succeed you need to stay focused. Write up a plan for
how often you will update, how you will promote your
blog and retain readers, whether you will feature
photographs or video, and other aspects of your blog,
and then stick to it with the same kind of determination
that you used when you built your company.  

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Free Blogging Web Site

Using A Free Blogging Web Site

For first time bloggers, a free blogging web site is a
great way to get started in the blogosphere. Popular
blogging web sites like blogger and eponym allow users
to set up and host a blog without paying any fees at all.
This encourages people to start blogging, because the
fact that one of these sites can provide you with all of
the tools that you need to get your blog up and running
without spending any money means that you have
nothing to lose by starting a blog. The fact that it is so
easy to find a way to blog for free is one of the reasons
why so many people who have never had any other kind
of web presence before find themselves drawn to
blogging.

By signing up with a free blogging web site, you may
find it easier to get listed in search engines that you
would if you were starting your own blog from scratch.
For example, google runs the free blog hosting site
blogspot and crawls its pages very often looking for
updates, so if you have your site hosted by blogspot you
are almost guaranteed to be listed on google's blog
search engine. This easy access to search engines can
take some of the work out of promoting your blog, and
can help you gain a following with a minimum of
marketing effort.

If your blog attracts a large readership, you may want to
consider moving your site. Many people feel that being
hosted by a free blogging web site gives a blog a kind of
amateur flavor that is fine for a new member of the
blogosphere, but is not appropriate for a high-profile
blog. Having your own domain can help you make your
blog feel professional, and finding a company that will
host your domain is not difficult or expensive. Once
your blog takes off, you will probably be able to sell
enough advertising space to be able to afford to buy a
domain and pay for a hosting package, and still have
money left over. However, it does not make sense in
most cases to invest in these glossy luxuries before you
have a sizable readership.

Starting your blog on a free blogging web site is a great
way to build a following before you spend any money
on your blog. If and when your blog becomes popular
and you are ready to take the next step and purchase
your own domain, your readers will follow you to your
new home. The fact that it is possible to use a free blog
host like blogspost, blogger, or eponym as a kind of
incubator for your blog is great news for bloggers
everywhere.

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Photo Blogging

Photo Blogging May be the Pinnacle of Modern
Technology

Many people feel that photo blogging is the most
exciting kind of blogging that exists. Building and
maintaining a photo blog is no more difficult than
creating and updating a text-based blog, and many
people feel that the internet's high speed, full-color
technology reaches the pinnacle of its appeal with the
transmission of images. Posting photographs in a blog
format on a daily, weekly, or occasional basis is a great
way to express yourself while reaching viewers in an
emotionally charged and aesthetically engaging way,
and surfing photo blogs can help you to get a whole
new perspective on the world in which we live.

Many people who run image blogs are photographers by
trade, but photo blogging is also very popular among
hobbyists and amateur shutterbugs. To be certain, a lot
of the most popular photo blogs have gained attention
because the pictures on them are of the highest artistic
caliber, and a lot of the people who run these striking
blogs are graduates of prestigious art schools and have
impressive professional portfolios. However, some of
the most well known and most often visited photo blogs
are as notable for their concepts as for the pictures
themselves. Certain photo blogs, like the popular "Cute
Overload" which features picture after picture of
adorable animals, are more about the thematic content
of the pictures than they are about the style in which the
snapshots are taken.

The fact that photo blogs range from forums to display
the work of highly skilled artisans to playful collections
of curiosities shows that photo blogging is a truly
diverse form. The fact that photo blogs are so easy to
build and to update makes this kind of visual
communication very democratic, and enables people at
all skill levels to become a part of the global
conversation about the nature and value of photography
today.

Whether you are an artist or hobbyist who wants to
create a photo blog, or whether you are just somebody
who enjoys learning about new places and things,
spending some time looking at the most popular
photography blogs on the internet can be a very
rewarding endeavor. You can travel to another place or
another time by seeing pictures of faraway locations and
long-gone eras. You can see your own neighborhood
with fresh eyes by discover how local artists have
photographed the town or city in which you live. Photo
blogging allows people to communicate all of these
things and more, which makes it a very exciting part of
the modern blogosphere. If the best thing about web
technology is that it allows people to reach each other in
a very personal way from across great distances, then in
many ways photo blogs are the most successful kind of
web sites.

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Mobile Blogging

Mobile Blogging is on the Cutting Edge

Mobile blogging is an exciting phenomenon that is
sweeping the blogosphere. One of the reasons why a lot
of bloggers are attracted to the medium of blogging in
the first place is that they enjoy being able to make
frequent updates and posts that keep all of their visitors
up to speed with current situations. Mobile blogs, or
"moblogs," take this to the extreme by allowing users to
post things literally as they happen. This new wave of
moblogs and mobloggers keep web surfers up to date
with good and bad events of importance as they occur
all over the world, helping to make international
communication faster and more accurate.

Many people feel that the limitations of blogging have a
lot to do with geography. After all, there is only so
current that a blog can be when you need to run home
and boot up in order to update it. However, mobile
blogging marks the beginning of an thrilling new era
when web-based communication can happen
spontaneously from any location. Moblogging devices
mean that there is almost nowhere on the planet that
remains off-limits for bloggers.

Mobile blogging is still in its infancy because the
technology that makes it possible has only recently hit
the global market. The first moblog technology became
available over a decade ago, but it is only the past two
or three years that mobile web devices have become
user-friendly enough to appeal to most consumers. As
camera phones and other mobile technology become
more popular, more and more bloggers are getting away
from their desks and are hitting the streets. Moblogging
is becoming much more widespread that it was even a
few months ago, and mobloggers are quickly attracting
a lot of attention with the blogging community. It is not
yet clear whether moblogs will become the dominant
kinds of blogs in the years to come, but the current
trend seems to imply that moblogs are here to stay.

Mobile devices make it possible to blog from the sites
where current events are unfolding, which is one of the
reasons why mobile blogging has so much thrilling
potential to revolutionize the blogosphere. A moblogger
with a camera phone can post blog entries from, say, the
foot of the podium at a presidential speech, or from the
stands during the final moments of the world series.
This enables bloggers to experience the same real time
thrills that live television coverage provides, but in a
more democratic medium. The combination of mobility
and individual control that moblogging provides
certainly places mobloggers on the cutting edge of
today's communications technology, and it is hard to
imagine that the number and prestige of moblogs will
not continue to grow in the coming years.
                             

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