Blogs (short for Web Logs) are websites that are usually maintained by a single person who provides regular entries of text, graphics and videos. Some blogs are used as 'online' diaries, and readers can usually leave comments. As of December of 2007 Technorati estimates that there are some 112 million blogs that they track regularly.

Blogs come in a variety of 'styles' depending on not only what is in the content, but how that content is delivered to the audience or even how it's written.

Personal Blogs A personal blog is usually more like a diary or even commentary that is contributed to by an individual. This is the most common form of blogging and some people never have anyone else read their blog, it serves as merely a way of communicating or reflection. Some blogs are sentimental, some mainstream and some have an extensive following depending on the content and regularity of postings.

Corporate Blogs Normally these blogs are private and used in companies for the purposes of communicating internally. More and more companies are looking to blogs to enhance their marketing, public relations or simply to enhance communication with their customers.

Media Types

A Video blog - Called a 'vlog'

A Link blog - Called a 'linklog'

A Porfolio of Sketches - Called a 'sketchblog'

A Portfolio of Pictures - Called a 'Photoblog'

A Mixed Media/Word Post - Called a 'Tumblelog'

A rare type of blog hosted on the Gopher Protocol is known as a Phlog

Device Types Mobile phones and pda's have increased in use. These blogs are often referred to as 'moblogs' and are semi-automated. These are often a combination of text and video and have in fact been used as evidence in legal issues.

Blogs by Genre Many blogs focus on a single subject. These are often a type of diary that might include such topics as politics, fashion, travel, education or even music.

Weblog software (also called blog software or blogware) is a category of software which consists of a specialized form of Content Management Systems specifically designed for creating and maintaining weblogs.

Content Management Systems are generally deisgned to create and maintain a blog. The usual features are titles, body, permalinks and post dates. Optional features include comments and main article feedback.

Comments are generally used to allow for discussion on the various entries. This feature allows readers to comment on the post, correct errors or may even contain personal opinions about the posting.

Most blogs have categories (or tags) that link to the subject and will allow for links to other sites that refer to the posting which are called track-backs or ping-backs.

In today's market, we are all becoming more and more familiar with the advantages that blogging offers to all of us.

The problem many of us encounter is which blogging software is right for us. Today, we have the ability to read Blog Systems Software reviews online which help us identify the best software for our own needs. Don't miss out on this great opportunity before you invest in blog software!