Website Typically reverse chronological order, updated regularly with commentary from the author.
Well over 100 Million – not counting an estimated 70 million in China. Suffice it to say that there are countless blogs. They pop up daily and can disappear just as quickly. They can be event or project related, or ongoing. Many are integrated in other sites, some stand alone. Not so much about the specific number as it is the concept that they are everywhere.
USENET, Compuserv in the 1990’s. Open Diary - Live Journal – Huge rise in popularity in early 2000’s with blogger.com which has led to growth of popular platforms like Wordpress and MoveableType. The technology is not what makes blogging great, although it has made it much easier. Rather it is the ability to engage with others in meaningful ways via the web. To contribute to the conversation.
Everyone. Everywhere. Professional journalists – Chick Ludwig from DDN blogs about Bengals, Pat Crowley from Enquirer writes about politics. Mark Cuban, Seth Godin, Perez Hilton, Arianna Huffington, and on and on.
So easy. Go to wordpresss.com create an account. Choose a site name. Choose a theme, blog. Go to a host like Bluehost.com - register domain name. Then you can use blogger or Install wordpress, start blogging. They will walk you through it. Very easy.
No. From free services like Wordpress.com and Blogger to hosted solutions for a few bucks a month.
Whatever your heart desires. You may start in one place and end up somewhere entirely different. It is a journey that is interactive and eve rchanging.
As often as you like. If you expect people to read it, more often. Overall the quality is as important as the quantity. Twitter has really brought this home. Twitter is more about quick links, brief thoughts. Blog is more well thought out, but still concise.
You have time. Much of the “writing” takes place by opening your eyes and looking around. You see something interesting, think about it for a while, then sit down and write.
However you want. I would say that criticism is good, even encouraged. There is huge value in creating debate and in inviting descent. The opposing views offered by others are part of what makes blogging so rewarding. It is an opportunity to learn something. It makes you a better writer, thinker and communicator. The more open, honest, unfiltered dialog that occurs, the better. However when dialog gets inflammatory or inappropriate, you have the right to kick people out of the conversation – or at least ask them to pick up their thread somewhere else. Sometimes ignoring is a good strategy to begin with, as some are simply looking for a fight. Choose your battles, as a flame war can take up tons of time and energy and little good can come of it. Overall be patient and tolerant, but don’t be afraid to take control if people are bullying others in an unfriendly manner
Links are very important. They help build traffic, offer credit (bibliography), build community, and if you can exchange some link love, they can offer a powerful tool for building relevance in search engine results.
Use of links, text, and frequently updated content makes blogs the perfect tool for search engines. Not to mention that each blog page can be indexed, which means there can be huge amounts of content pointing back to one place.
Absolutely – directly thought ads, more likely as a way to get a better job, get paid gigs, and make connections with others around the world. Seth Godin, Dan Pink, John Moore, Nan Whaley
Yes, but it is not easy. Think about what you want to do first. Set up some groundrules. Overall it can be a very effective way to reach out to the world.
Really Simple Syndication – more on this later. Mainly, this allows you to know when something you like on the web has been updated with new content.
Blogs can now be easily customized with your own content of content from others. Widgets make it easier than ever. Podcasts are an easy way to make friends and learn more about people. So easy to do.
Who, what, where, when, why is easy. You will be better connected which means you can send and receive messages to the world with much greater effectiveness. See a story you don’t agree with, post about it. Something going right or wrong – post about it. It is an easy way to tell the story.
SethGodin.com BrandAutopsy.com BoingBoing.net, Lifehacker, Presentation Zen.
Blogging is more relevant. Some are leaving for other platforms, which is great. Less clutter, more opportunity to differentiate yourself. Freedom to own the platform. Platforms are great, but they have a purpose.
Alltop, Google Reader Suggest, Technorati, Links on Blogs You Like to Read, Google Blog Search, ask your friends