Developing a blog versus a standard website
by Paul Flyer
Sitting down and determining the format (or structure) of your website requires a little thought. With the introduction of blogs, developers have multiple options when consider the structure of a website.
There are three basic formats: Website as blog, Website incorporates blog, and website with no blog. I realize these are somewhat general. A problem exists when the word “blog” is mentioned. It can connote multiple meanings in people’s minds. If I mention that I have a blog, some people react by stating “How can you share your personal life on the web like that!”. In their minds, a blog connotes something that is inherently personal, an online diary. In actuality, the connotation is really a usage of format one above (and maybe number two).
What are the fundamental differences between these general formats?
The last is the easiest to explain since it has been around the longest. It is a website as it has existed since the web began. It is multiple web pages organized for accessiblity and usability to communicate content or a message.
A website that incorporates a blog meets the above criteria as well. However, a portion of those pages are organized as a blog. My website falls into this category. Click on “Blog” on the nav menu and your taken to the blog for this website. The blog does not form the structure of the website, rather it is part of that structure. Blogs used in this manner are either used to update individuals on newsworthy items or as a manner of creating ancillary content.
Websites as blogs are structured by the blog itself. Typically the homepage of the site is the main blog page which contains summaries of the most recent posts.
Which format is right for your site?
Most company and product website typicall fall into the “website incorporates blog” category. The blog should be used to keep visitors up to date on the latest news and updates. All other content is more “static” (which is a poor term to use but I can’t find one better) describing the nature and service of the company or product. Typically this content does not exist as part of the blog.
Consider the following three examples. I link to the main page, then to their blog. When looking at the main page look for a link in the nav bar labeled “blog”. In each of these cases, the blog is used to keep people up to date about the content and topic of the website at large.
Smaller information websites don’t need a blog. These typically are not updated on a regularly basis or require the kind of updates that would necessitate a blog. They usually don’t have a need to connect with a particular readership. It could be argued that some of the below sites could benefit from a blog. However, it could be counter-argued that an email newsletter would better suit there needs to connect with an audience.
Sites which comment regularly on newsworthy events or a niche topic are best structured as a pure blog. The blog, in these cases, gets the front and center attention. The blog itself appears on the homepage of the website. Typically when we mention the term “blog” we think of these kinds of sites. You are probably familiar with many, here are three examples.
It is hard to put into words something that is often a nuance. However, by looking at the examples provided you can get a picture of the general ways websites are differentiated. The point of this post is to help beginners consider the basic kinds of structure before they begin creating their own site.
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Great article. Now I just need to quit reading and get working on my blog
April 17th, 2007 at 6:04 pm