Although I've been blogging and reading blogs since 2002, I recently learned that it's possible to be a daily Internet user and still be unfamiliar with blogs and how they work.
And so I thought, perhaps there is still a need for a basic guide to reading blogs - a guide that helps readers understand the advantages of blogs as well as how to navigate them.
Is it a blog? - When you come upon a new website, you can scan for these clues to determine whether it's a blog.
Blogs typically have: 1.
A primary area where several articles (called "posts") are shown in a single column 2.
One or more "sidebar" columns where other links are gathered under various headings 3.
Sidebar elements called "Categories," "Archives" and/or "Pages" 4.
A timestamp on each article showing when it was posted 5.
A link to "comments" on each article Blog organization and navigation - As a blog, the entire site will be organized so that the articles can be sorted in several different ways.
So, no matter how you like to search, you can find what interests you: 1.
Newest items first - the homepage lists the most recent articles.
That means the newest content is always front-and-center, easily found and easily read.
2.
Archives - click a month in the Archives sidebar heading to see all the posts from a particular month.
3.
Categories - Each post is filed under one or more topical categories.
Click a category heading to browse just the topics that interest you and save the rest for a rainy day.
4.
Keywords - You'll probably find a "search box" in the sidebar as well.
Type in a couple keywords or a key phrase, and read the articles that use those elements.
Interactivity - Blogs by nature encourage two-way conversation - it's what makes them more interactive, more "social" than static websites.
1.
You can comment on every post! Click the "comments" link on a post to start or join the conversation around a post that trips your trigger! 2.
To simply read the comments on a story, either click the "Comments" link or click the headline to load the permalink and then scroll to the end of the story.
Shareability - Every article is also easily shared with others.
1.
Click on the headline for any post, and it loads with its own unique web address (URL).
In blog lingo, these unique URLs are called "permalinks.
" If you want to share a specific story with others (via email, forums, or even your own blog), use that story's permalink.
2.
Each post may also show a button that allows you to save that story to your favorite "social bookmarking" site (Digg, StumbleUpon, etc.
).
RSS Feeds built right in - RSS is a technology that lets you "subscribe" to site updates so you can get notified any time something new is added.
Many websites and most blogs publish RSS feeds, so you can find yourself some feed reader software (such as Bloglines or Google Reader) and subscribe to lots of feeds at once.
That's right: you can get updates from all your favorite sites and blogs, and read them all in one place with your feed reader! Of course, the above applies to "most blogs.
" Some use very few of the tools mentioned here - some use even more.
Hopefully these tips will make blogs less mysterious and the reading of them more productive and enjoyable.