What is a Blog?

(This is a re-post from a new website I have created called un-riddle.com. My focus is to post on current and relevant interesting topics that I come across. )

The word “weblog”, first used by Jorn Barger in 1997 to describe a web-‘log’ or web diary/notebook. The word “blog” originated from a joke Peter Merholz who used wordplay and broke the word web-log into we-blog in his private blog Peterme.com. Soon after, it was picked up by others and started owning its own meaning as a word describing a private logbook on the web. ‘blog’ can be used as a noun or as a verb. Blogs are mostly textual but recently there are other variations emerging based on their focus area – art blogs, photoblogs, video blogs or “vlogs”, MP3 blogs, podcasts. There are also educational blogs, or edublogs, like this one from me.

How does one create a blog?

Choose the area of focus

It’s very important for you to first determine what the blog will focus upon. It could be anything from environmental conservation, scientific discovery, political, religious, art, architecture, and the list goes on.

Choose a blogging platform

There are various blogging platforms both free and paid. Following is a list of various options for you:
WordPress ( For example check out my blog A Rendezvous with Words and my wife's blog Well of Wishes)
Blogger ( For example check out my blog Frozen Dews of Time)
Medium ( Yes, I have a blog here too to show you an example, Link)

Choose a good domain name and internet site host

For example, here it took me a week to narrow down from the various possibilities and selecting the one I wanted to go for. A domain name is a blog's identity so choose very wisely. It should represent what the focus of your blog is going to be.
Once you have chosen a domain name, you can start using one of the above blogging platforms or choose your own internet site host. Having your own site gives you more freedom to design and monetize the content you publish. There are thousands of site that sell internet space, but I have narrowed down to the final three and would recommend for you:
Bluehost ( This is the one that I finally chose)
DreamHost
SiteGround

Blogger’s Code of Conduct

One final thing before you jump into the world of blogging. The space of blogging is a continuously evolving world with all kind of interactions taking place. Like a society, it became necessary to have some ground rules or decency of being a blogger. O'Reilly and others came up with a list of seven proposed ideas:

• Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the comments you allow on your blog.
• Label your tolerance level for abusive comments.
• Consider eliminating anonymous comments.
• Ignore the trolls.
• Take the conversation offline, and talk directly, or find an intermediary who can do so.
• If you know someone who is behaving badly, tell them so.
• Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in person.

Ready, Steady, Go!

Of course, the role of blogging is for you to get an outlet to express your views, exactly how you want and when you want, without any censorship or interference. This is a great power that is for you to use as you desire and as is said - with great power comes great responsibility! I hoped you got the information that you came looking for. I wish you all the best in making your own blog!