Understanding Blog Speak
Duncan Riley> Well Ive pulled myself away from blogging for a little while to write some more of my book project and I need some help, and who better to ask than the readers of the Blog Herald!
Chapter 5 is titled “Understanding Blog Speak” and it’s actually hard to describe the meaning of certain words when you use them so regularly they are the norm. For example, trying to describe what a blog post is without actually referring to the meaning as being “a post to a blog” was actually a small challenge.
What follows is my list so far, and for anyone new to blogging visiting the site, it should come in handy as a reasonable reference tool, for everyone else, is there any words I’ve missed that should be included or are any of the descriptions particularly bad? Remember the list is meant for newbies and also includes a number of non-blogging terms that are frequently reference in blogging.
Understanding Blog Speak
Audioblog: A blog where the posts consist mainly of voice recordings
Aggregator: A program or webpage which enables users to read the content of blogs using RSS or Atom Feeds examples: Bloglines.com
Atom: An XML based file format used in the provision of Blog feeds. Championed primarily by Google and its Blogger blogging service, it competes directly with the RSS format
Blego: a combination of the words Blog and Ego, used to describe the actions of bloggers who write as to their own self worth
Blog/ Weblog: see chapter 2
Blogger: A person who keeps and/ or writes a blog. Also the name of Google’€™s blogging service.
Blogosphere: used to describe the world or community of blogs and blogging
Blogroll: a collection or list of links to other blogs and websites commonly featured on blogs. The word came into popular uses from the service of the same name. Sometimes referred to as link lists or bookmarks
Blogware: commonly used in reference to the tools used to write blogs, such as WordPress or Movable Type.
Blog feed/ Feed: a page, written in XML, that is read using Aggregators, that provide an alternative means in which to read blogs. There are two competing standards, Atom and RSS.
CGI-BIN: Some types of blogware require servers that allow CGI (Computer Generated ImageCommon Gateway Interface) programs to reside in a special directory. This directory is often referred to as CGI-BIN.
CSS: Cascading Style Sheets, script that may define the attributes on a web page or a blog, including colour, layout, font type etc.. CSS is not required to write a web page but is commonly used with blogs
FTP: File Transfer Protocol: Do-it-yourself blogging requires the uploading of script to a web host for hosting, FTP refers to the method in which the files are uploaded. Software is required to transfer a file by FTP. Examples include WS_FTP and Cute_FTP
HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language: the language used in writing a web page
Meme: an idea, project, statement or even a question that is posted by one blog and responded to by other blogs. Although the term encompasses much of the natural flow of communication in the Blogosphere, there are active bloggers and blog sites that are dedicated to the creation of memes on a regular basis
Moblog: literally a mobile phone blog, a form of photoblog that consists of the photographs taken on users mobile phones. Particularly useful at times of crisis and major events, in which mobloggers (mobile phone bloggers) post direct pictures from the scene.
MP3 Blog: a blog that hosts downloadable music in the MP3 audio file format.
Perl: Practical Extraction and Report Language, Perl is a programming language designed for processing text used by some types of blogware
PHP: a HTML embedded scripting language that allows the creation of dynamic web pages, used by some types of blogware
Podcast/ Podcasting: a form of audio blogging created by Adam Curry, a former MTV Host, and Dave Winer, the founder of Userland Software. Its name comes from the targeting of audio posts to Apples iPod audio player, although podcasts can be listened to on competing players and on computers.
Post: the term used to refer to an individual story or article on a blog, literally to post to a blog is to write an article or contribution, and a blog consists of multiple posts.
RSS: Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication: a form of XML used in the delivery of blog feeds, comes in various standards as well, 0.92, 1 and 2 are the most common forms of RSS.
TrackBack/ PingBack: A system that allows a blogger to see which other bloggers have referenced or written about a particular post. The system works by sending a ‘ping’ between the blogs, and therefore providing the alert.
Vblog/ Vlog: Video Blog: a blog that consists of video posts.
XML: Extensible Markup Language: a scripting language used most commonly for blog feeds, used in both Atom and XML.
And how would you call blogs in which content is edited by more than one person ?
I heard the term once ‘vertical blog’. Is this really suited for ? I merely thought about ‘collaborative blogging (cblog)’…
>> CGI-BIN: Some types of blogware require servers that allow CGI (Computer Generated Image) programs
Whoops! CGI is an abbreviation for Common Gateway Interface in this context! :)
(And isn’t it difficult to add a correction WITHOUT sounding like a pompous git!?!?)
I always thought CGI stood for Common Gateway Interface.
Ooops – I see you already realized this.
Stuart
your 100% right, thanks for that
Blawg: a blog written by a lawyer which usually focuses on law and the impact of legal cases on society.
1. I guess it would be neet to emphasize that PHP is a *server-side* scripting language.
2. I Also think useful to include short definitions of the most pop blogwares (WordPress, MT, etc.) with their respective ex-librises (e.g., WordPress is caracterized for concerning the web standards, and for being totally dinamic, not requiring the rebuilding of static pages) — if not for anything else, to be in an equalty level with Blogger. ;)
3. Some considerable terms:
a) Colophon — originally, an inscription page sometimes found at the end of a book, listing details pertaining to production of the book, or the printer’s imprint; in the blog world, it refers to what can also be called an “About…” page.
b) link(b)log — a blog, or a blog category, in which posts are essencially links to other pages/weblogs.
Here’s another blog glossary.
How about definitions for AUTHOR & COMMENT (in respect to blogs) and COMMENT SPAM.
How about “bleg”, defined as a blogged request for information, such as this very post.
XML is a markup language, not a scripting language.
“I merely thought about ‘collaborative blogging (cblog)’” — I always refer to these as “coblogs”.
And Porges is right, XML is not a scripting language.
I think you should add ‘Carnival’ to the list.
What about adding “blegging” – using a blog to beg for money (i.e. having a Donate button on your blog).
(I first saw this on http://vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com)
One of my favourites has always been “bloggered”. Having ones reputation/credibility torn down by memebers of the blogosphere.
Great info and something all new folks to blogging need.
Im closing this comment thread as I’ve placed a new post with the update. Thanks for everyone’s help. New post is here