The Blog Timeline
Part 3 of What Is A Blog?
(Creative Commons)
One of the distinguishing features of most blogs is that they tend to embody the concept of time. Unlike static information sites blogs change and grow and the order of the posts is usually important.
In the early days of course the time element was explicit: after all, “blog” means “web log” which initially meant a personal diary or journal kept online. Many people still use blogs this way today.
The initial idea of a personal journal has expanded greatly with many blogs covering events, either small or large scale. Company blogs will often talk about new product development and releases, authors might discuss progress on their latest book. News, review and opinion blogs abound in all fields. Again, a key feature is that they are time sensitive and respond to events.
So what about a content based blog such as this one? Well even here the time element matters. For instance this post is part of an ordered series, other posts on Blogduction will react to news in the blogosphere.
Perhaps the key area where the timeline is visible in a blog is in the comments – the interactive element of the blog. Comments build on a post over time and form a conversation between the author and the readers as well as between readers themselves. Most true blogs actively encourage comments.
Of course it is possible to use a blogging system such as Wordpress just as a content management system (CMS) for a traditional website, however such sites are unlikely to be recognised as blogs despite the underlying technical platforms.
Next: Blogs are Interactive
