Getting Started - Blogging for Retailers annotations, part 5

PLEASE NOTE: This blogpost is part 5 of 6 the Blogging for Retailers White Paper annotations. Be sure to download “Blogging for Retailers - Why Blogging Matters and How to get Started” (complimentary) to follow along.

[Excerpt] Blogging isn’t just writing. Any rich media is deliverable the same way via Real Simple Syndication (RSS) - the “secret sauce” behind blogs’ subscribe-ability.

[Excerpt] Options abound for blogging platforms ranging from hosted solutions through to feature rich content management systems. Making the right decision is important right off the bat. Not because of software cost but of continuity and stability.

Getting Started

Blog domain brand-naming example

• Pure Networks - makers of Network Magic software and Network Garage Blog

Blogging Platforms

• Wordpress.com - free Wordpress blog hosting
• Wordpress.org - download blogging platform and participate in development
• Moveable Type - commercially supported, hosted blogging platform
• Typepad - commercially supported, hosted blogging platform
• Drupal.org - open source content management system (CMS) for communities
• Bryght.com - hosting provider for Drupal powered community websites
• Blogger.com - free Google owned hosted blogging platform (AKA Blogspot)

Mediacasting tools

• Apple’s podcasts on iTunes - Apple’s Podcast recipe seminar
  
• Hipcast - podcast and vidcast tools and hosting provider - See also: Odeo

Vocabulary

• For more in-depth information on any vocabulary term, search Wikipedia and/or start with Wikipedia’s entry on Web 2.0

RSS – Real Simple Syndication, web delivery format used to distribute digital content via subscription using XML (see also Atom)

XML - an extend-able markup language used to structure and identify content in a (WC3-standard) document

Feed - a syndicated, subscribe-able data delivery format (usually using XML and RSS or Atom) containing text and/or enclosures linking to rich media

Blog - (n) a web-based publishing platform, typically written as a journal, arranged chronologically and allowing comments; (v) to write content and publish via a semantic web publishing platform

Podcast - on-demand audio program, generally delivered via RSS

Vidcast/Vcast/Videocast - on-demand, subscribe-able video content

ebook – a book produced in a digital format and delivered electronically

Aggregator, News Aggregator, Feed Reader - client software which gathers and organizes content from syndicated RSS feeds

Social Networking / Social Software - sites and software designed to encourage interactive conversations and facilitate community building

Web 2.0/New Web - “buzzwords” to describe web paradigms and endeavors often featuring user-collaboration, socializing, mash-ups and shared resources

Tags/Tagging - taxonomy attached to posts to associate keywords or attributes which otherwise do not appear in a description

Trackback/Pingback - automatically generated links pointing back to a blog post referenced at another blog

PPC / Pay Per Click - the practice of paying a negotiated fee to a search engine for each click-through from a specific keyword

Organic search - search engine results appearing based on content and other non-paid site characteristics

Keep on rolling with part 6, … Joining the Conversation including an interactive exercise …

PLEASE NOTE: This blogpost is part 5 of 6 the Blogging for Retailers White Paper annotations. Be sure to download “Blogging for Retailers - Why Blogging Matters and How to get Started” (complimentary) to follow along.