Off Duty Blogger
A blog is way more than an online journal, just wondering how blogging started? Then, let’s take a closer look at the origins and evolution of this trend.
HOW BLOGGING CHANGED THE WORLD
What is Blogging?
Blogging is a form of communication, it’s a website regularly updated by one or several authors with a personal (often casual) style.
Due to this flexible characteristic, it has become increasingly popular over the years.
The Pioneers
In the early nineties, Justin Hall created Justin’s Links from the Underground, an online personal journal.
Overshare: the links.net story from justinhall on Vimeo.
Another early adopter, Jorn Barger contributed to the success of this new trend. His so-called weblog, Robot Wisdom, was launched in 1995, and it became extremely popular for ten years, helping to shape the modern blogosphere.
Popular Platforms
When it comes to publishing a blog, there are many different options out there.
Platforms vs Content Management Systems
For the tech-savvy, Content Management Systems (CMS), may provide the best solutions, while the blogging platforms and site builders offer all-in-one solutions and are easy to manage.
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Source: https://makeawebsitehub.com/
How It Has Evolved for Business
Blogs provide value, and this value can become profitable. Blogging is an effective way to increase online visibility and engage with potential customers (especially for small business).
Moreover, there are clear advantages in well-constructed content strategy.
- Extra value: blog readers find them useful and entertaining.
- Better conversions: the content must be adapted to the targeted audience (publishing frequency is an important factor).
- Increased web traffic: leaving aside paid strategies, publishing posts is a smart and affordable way to gain visibility.
- Lead generation: building and nurturing customer relationships is a fundamental part of the business strategy.
Source: Lyfemarketing.com
Embedded from CJG Digital Marketing
Types of Blogs
As flexible as blogging is, there are different types of blogs out there. These are some of the most popular.
- Personal Blogs: the precursors of modern blogs, mostly focused on the authors’ personal experiences.
- Business Blogs: specialized in business and industry and aimed at getting traffic and conversions.
- Professional Blogs: they make money by selling products, services, and others forms of monetization.
- Niche Blogs: focused on specific niches and interests.
- Reverse Blogs: relying on guest posting and collaboration, i.e. Medium.
- Media blogs: like video blogs (vlogs), photography portfolios or gaming sites.
- Affiliate Blogs: the revenue comes from reviews on specific products and the related affiliate links.
- Freelancers: they offer content writing among other services.
Source: https://firstsiteguide.com
Blogging and Affiliate Marketing
Blogs are not only a creative tool but also beneficial for business models. Affiliate marketing has become increasingly popular as the number of internet entrepreneurs grows.
However, there are pros and cons in this model.
| AFFILIATE MARKETING BLOGGING PROS | AFFILIATE MARKETING BLOGGING CONS |
|---|---|
| Good for building trust and email lists | It takes time to build an audience |
| Commissions earned by offering reviews | 80% of the content is not monetized |
| Web traffic (via referrals, mentions and social media) | No immediate profit |
Get some good affiliate resources here.
IS BLOGGING DYING?
Some claim the blog era is over as other types of (more) visual content are taking over the platforms. I disagree.
Blogging is not dead, it’s just changing and morphing into a new paradigm.
Where is blogging going in the future?
In the near future will see an enhanced user experience and the integration of new technologies (artificial intelligence and augmented reality). Moreover, we’ll most likely be posting content in real-time, especially live video.
Optimistically, all these advancements will also bring better integrated and more efficient monetization systems.
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