Glossary of Blog Terms

Blog: short for Web Log. An online journal.
Header: the image and/or title at the top of the blog. (My Header is a picture of Chroicoragh)

Header

Post: the main article. Each article was posted on a particular day or time, thus the name, post. The post will usually have a date and time stamp, and a title.

A post from Jill Corcoran's blog

Comment: Most blogs will give the reader the ability to leave a comment in the space below the post. Sometimes a separate window will pop up with a comment form. Some blogs will require that you register in order to comment. I think that's kind of pushy. And usually these are ad-based blogs that just want to get you onto some sort of list. Or they're privacy-protected, which is a whole nother thing. (Yes, I just said "a whole nother.")

For my blog, I only ask that you fill out a word verification. This is just to show that you are an actual human with an actual opinion; not a computer who wants to fill my form with spam.

Nathan Bransford gets lots of comments

Some readers are hesitant to leave comments. If concerned for privacy, there is usually an option to remain anonymous, and that's fine. But bloggers love comments. Think of it as applause for an actor; we just like to know you're out there, and that we aren't spending all of this time and effort for (cue crickets) nothing. Not that that would stop any of us. But comments are good. Even if you have a difference of opinion. It's okay, we understand. Most of us are opinionated, too, that's why we're out here telling you everything that's on our minds. And most of us have left a few opinions in other bloggers' comments. Opinionated is a nice word for what my mom refers to as "mouthy." She's opinionated, too.

Word Verification: The squiggly words you are asked to enter on a form, just to prove you are a human, not a computer.

word verification

Spam: "Spam in blogs...automatically posting random comments or promoting commercial services to blogs, [etc.]...Adding links that point to the spammer's web site artificially increases the site's search engine ranking. 

An increased ranking often results in the spammer's commercial site being listed ahead of other sites for certain searches, increasing the number of potential visitors and paying customers." (from Wikipedia)

"Junk" email is also referred to as spam. 

Spam is bad. And in case you're wondering, Spam, the canned meat, is bad, too. Just avoid Spam at all costs. 

Follow: If you subscribe to a blog, you follow it. Bloggers love followers because then they know at least someone is reading them. 

Rima's followers at The Hermitage

You can subscribe via email (a new email in your inbox whenever there is a new post) Personally that would get annoying for me because I get enough emails already. I use a reader.

Reader: From Google Reader: "Google Reader is a tool for gathering, reading, and sharing all the interesting blogs and websites you read on the web." 

You can read more about readers, along with RSS Feeds, here.

Blogroll: A list of links to other blogs that the author likes. My blogroll is on the left. Take a look, and go read them! 

Link: Short for Hyperlink, these are most commonly (but not always) the blue, underlined pieces of text that when clicked, will take you to another web page. Images can also be linked.

I will add more terms as I think of them - hope this is a good start. 

If you have any suggestions, leave a comment!! ;)

disclosure: I do not receive any goods or services from the above mentioned sites. I am just trying to be edumacational.