Blogging Terms Glossary

This article attempts to simplify some common blogging terms organized into a simple blogging glossary. Only common and popular blog tools and services have been included.

Note : The language used here is mostly non technical to make the newbie blogger understand the blogging basics. These have not been created by me, but collected over time. This is NOT a substitute for dictionary meaning or a strict definition of these terms, but a simple layman approach to understanding what they mean. Please feel free to propose a better meaning in the comments.

BLOGGING

• Weblog- An online dated diary listing your periodic thoughts on a specific topic, often in reverse chronological order.
• Blog - short form for weblog
• Blogging - the act of posting on blogs
• Blogger - a person who blogs
• Blogosphere - The internet blogging community

BLOGGING FORMS

• Photoblogging - a blog predominantly using and focusing on photographs and images. Photoblogs are created by photobloggers
• Podcasting - a method of distributing multimedia files (audio / videos) online using feeds for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. Podcasts are created by podcasters.
• Autocasting - is an automated form of podcasting
• Blogcasting - the blog and the podcast merged into a single website.
• Vlogging - Also called video blogging. Shortened to vlog. Posted by vlogger. A variant on the blogging using video instead of text.
• Audioblogging - Also called audioblog, MP3 blog or musicblogs. a variant on the blogging using audio instead of text. Created by audioblogger.
• Moblogging - Also called moblogs. A blog posted and maintained via mobile phone. Moblogs are created by mobloggers.

BLOG COMPONENTS AND FUNCTIONS

• Index page - the front page fo the blog
• Header - the topmost part of the blog usually listing the blog title.
• Footer - the most bottom part of the blog usually listing navigation and copyright statements
• Sidebar - One or more columns along one or both sides of most blogs main page
• Categories - A collection of topic specific posts
• Post, Entry- individual articles that make up a blog
• Comments - enabling readers to leave their remarks
• Captcha - short for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”. Those word and letter verification images you need to type in to show you are human and not a bot. Helful to block automated spam comments. more
• Ping - Short for Packet Internet Grouper. Blog and ping helps to notify other blog tracking tools for updates, changes and trackbacks.
• Trackback - A system by which a ping is sent to another blog to notify that their article has been mentioned by you
• Pingback - See trackback.
• Permalink - A link to a specific article
• Tags - labelling / attaching keywords to collect similar posts
• Tag cloud - Displaying tags lists or keywords in a blog.
• Blogroll - list of links to other blogs in your sidebar. Also see blogrolling.com
• Sideblog - A smaller blog usually placed in the sidebar of a blog.
• Template - the blog presentation design
• BlogThis - a function allows a blogger to blog the entry they a reading
• Plugins - Small files that add improved functionality and new features. Wordpress plugins can greatly improve your blog usage and interactivity
• Dashboard - When you login to your blogging account, it is the first screen with all controls, tools and functions.
• Archives - a collection of all your posts on one page. Can be categorized by month etc.
• Expandable post summaries - show a small teaser part of the post on the index page that link to the full post. more
• Jump - the continuation of a the story on another page to preserve space on index page.
• FTP - short for file transfer protocol. Transferring file to and fro from your web host using FTP tools like Filezilla

WEB FEEDS

• Web Feed - allows online users to subscribe to websites that change or add content regularly.
• RSS - a family of web feed formats used for Web syndication. Short form for Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0), Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS 1.0), RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0). Wordpress generates RSS 2.0
• XML - short for eXtensible Markup Language. a general-purpose markup language for syndication formats used on blogs.
• RDF - short for Resource Description Framework. A web content syndication format.
• Atom - another specific web feed format. Blogger feeds are usually of this type.
• OPML - short for Outline Processor Markup Language. It is an XML format for outlines. Easily import and export multiple blog subscriptions between different rss aggregators.
• Photofeed- a web feed with image enclosures.

BLOGGING SOFTWARE / CLIENTS

• Blogger - a free blogging platform by Google.
• Blogspot - free Blogger hosting blog at name.blogspot.com
• LiveJournal - free blogging tool by SixApart
• Movable Type - paid blogging tool by SixApart
• Typepad - paid blogging tool by SixApart
• Wordpress.org- Free. Easy to Upload, customize and upgrade.
• Wordpress.com - A Wordpress blog hosted free for you.
• Radio Userland - another blog publishing software package

TYPES OF BLOGS

• Group blog- with multiple contributing bloggers.
• Event blog - focussed on an event
• Kittyblogger - writing about cats.
• Celeblog - focused on a celebrity.
• Celebriblog - maintained by a celebrity.
• Clog Blog - written in Dutch and/or in Holland.
• CEOBlog - run by a chief executive officer.
• Plog - a project blog. Also for Amazon.com personalised weblogs
• Movlogs - mobile video blogs.
• Splog- a spam blog
• Tech blog - focused on a technical subject.
• Anonoblog - by an anonymous blogger
• Linguablog - about linguistics, translation etc.
• Metablog - a blog about blogging.
• Milblog - a military blog.
• Blawg - blogged by lawyer / related to legal stuff
• Edu-blog - education oriented blog.
• Progblog - A progressive blog.
• Shocklog - provokes discussion by posting shocking content
• Klog - used by company knowledge workers. by Kloggers
• Blogsite - A web site that combines blog feeds from a number of different sources
• Dark Blog- A non-public blog
• Photocast- a photoblog that automatically updates when new photos are added.

BLOGGING HABITS

• Metablogging - writing articles about blogging
• Blogstipation - writer’s block for bloggers. Cant think of what to blog about?
• Blogathy - I do not want to post today and I do not care about it
• Blogopotamus - A long long blog post
• Blogorrhea - unusually high output of articles
• Bleg - To use one’s blog to beg for assistance etc.
• Hitnosis - Refreshing your browser repeatedly to see if your hit counter or comments have increased
• GAD - Google Adsense Disorder. Repeatedly checking your adsense earnings. more
• Blego - Blog+Ego. Measuring blogger worth
• Blog hopping - jumping from one blog to another
• Blogroach - A commenter who rudely disagrees with posted content
• Blogoholic - addicted to blogging
• Blogorific = blogtastic - something which a blogger says is terrific
• Blogsit - maintaining a blog while the primary blogger is on leave
• Blogvertising - Also called blogvert. Advertising on a blog.
• Blurker - a blog reader not posting comments, just lurking around quietly.
• Blogathon - update your website every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight. Maybe collect sponsorships. more
• Blogiversary - your blog birthday
• Blog Carnival - Links to other articles covering a specific topic.
• Multiblog - running multiple blogs
• Blog Tipping - Compliment 3 blogs on day 1 of every month. more
• Blogger bash - a blogger party
• Commenter - someone who leaves remarks / comments
• Reciprocal Links - called link love. You link to my blog, I link to yours. To improve search engine rankings.
• Linkbaiting - a habit of writing good content with the sole purpose of getting it linked from multiple sites.
• Blogstorm - a large amount of blogosphere activity due to particular controversy. Also called Blog Swarm.
• Blogsnob - refusing to respond to blog comments from “not-friends”.
• Doppelblogger - plagiarize the content of another blogger. To Doppelblog.
• Blogophobia - Fear of blogs and blogging.
• Bloggerel - the same opinion posted repeatedly on a blog

BLOGGER TYPES

• Problogger - professional blogger
• Blognoscenti - especially knowledgable bloggers
• Blogebrity - a famous blogger.
• Blogerati - the blogosphere intelligentsia.
• Commentariat - The community of those leaving comments.
• Dooced - lost a job because of blog entries. To Dooce.
• Blogther - a fellow blogger.
• A-List- the top bloggers who influence the blogosphere.
• Blogstar- blogger running a popular blog

OTHER BLOGGING TERMS

• Bloggies- Annual blogging awards. more
• MSM - Mainstream Media, or old media like newspapers etc.
• BSM - Blogstream media. from most heavily trafficked blogs.
• Blog Day - 31 August. Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting and tell them. more
• Blaudience - your blog audience.
• Blargon - Also called Blogssary. Blogging slang and glossary. What I am telling you now.
• Blogiversary - your blog birthday
• Blogiverse - see blogosphere
• XFN - short for XHTML Friends Network. Is a simple way to represent human relationships using hyperlinks.
• Blogonomics - blogging conference on a Blog Cruise in 2006. more
• EFF - short for Electronic Frontier Foundation. A nonprofit group working to protect blogger rights.
• Blog of Note - a recommended blog. more
• Navbar - a navigation bar usually seen on top of Blogger blogspot hosted blogs. more
• Blook - a book created from a blog. more
• Hat Tip- acknowledgement of the source that tipped you the news.
• Spomments- Spam comments
• Blammer- Blog spammer
• SOB- acronym for Successful and Outstanding Blogger. From successful-blog.com
• Blogiday- you get fed up and take a holiday from blogging

BLOGGING TOOLS & SERVICES

• Bloglines, Rojo, Newsgator, Kinja, - are News Aggregators that display content from syndicated Web content from web feed. Can be configured online or downloaded on your desktop. Like . Also called RSS readers, feed readers, feed aggregators or news readers
• Pageflakes, Newsvine - Track multiple feeds on a single page by modules.
• Odeo, Podnova - are Podcatchers, a form of aggregator used to automatically download podcasts and can sometimes transfer a portable media player. Like
• Feedburner - a professional feed management system
• Pingomatic, Pingoat - ping multiple blog tracking services. More
• Feedblitz, Zokooda - Email subscriptions and newletter tools.
• Technorati - a real-time search engine that keeps track of what is going on in the blogosphere
• b5media, 9rules - examples of popular blogging networks. Collection of blogs and bloggers providing great content, with revenue sharing sometimes.
• K2, Blix - names of some popular wordpress themes.
• Blogexplosion, Blogclicker- popular blog traffic generation / exchange services.
• Adsense, Adbrite, CJ, Chitka, Blogads - popular affiliate programs to generate money from your blogs.
• Sphere, Icerocket - blog search engines
• Live Bookmarks - a firefox web browser feature. Update themselves automatically with the latest content from the Web.
• Creative Commons - licenses provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors to offer a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach.
• CoComment - Tracks your comments across different platforms and follow conversations
• WBloggar, Ecto, Qumanna - desktop blog publishing tools
• Mint, Mybloglog, Measuremap, Analytics - site traffic tracking tools.
• Haloscan- free trackback service
• YouTube, Rapidshare- puts video on your blog
• Flickr, Imageshack - photo sharing service. Host images on your blog
• Del.icio.us, furl, spurl - share social bookmarks.
• Blogburst - Syndicating your feed to top publishers.
• Bloggeropoly - professional blogger recruiting agency. more
• Blogger code - a way to describe different types of bloggers. more
• Bloggoggle - Directory of Blogging Professionals
• BlogHer - where the women bloggers are. At Blogher.org

BLOG TRAFFIC SURGES

• Digged - link posted on digg.com driving huge traffic to your blog
• Slashdotted - link posted on slashdot.org driving huge traffic to your blog. more
• Instalanche - link posted on instapundit.com driving huge traffic to your blog
• Farked - link posted on fark.com driving huge traffic to your blog
• Boing Boinged - link posted on boingboing.net driving huge traffic to your blog

MISCELLANEOUS BLOGGING TERMS

• Ajax - acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. creates interactive web applications.
• Greasemonkey - a firefox web browser extension that can alter the functionality of any website using specific scripts.
• Wiki - a collaborative on-line software that allows readers to add and edit content.
• SEO - search engine optimization. To improve your search engine rankings.
• Page Rank - Google measures of importance of a page which reflects in its rankings.
• CMS - short for Content management system. software used to publish and manage websites.