Introduction
A weblog (sometimes called a blog for short) is a site where stories are posted in time sequence, and typically people can post comments in a threaded discussion under the story. Some of the better known weblogs are
SlashDot (built using
SlashCode),
Kuro5hin.org,
Advogato.org,
UserLand and
http://blogger.com/.
The software used to build a weblog site is sometimes known as a
ContentManagementSystem (see
this article on CMSs and weblogs). PHP seems to be the most popular language for weblogs, mainly for scalability reasons it seems - see
this thread comparing various PHP weblog tools including
PhpNuke,
PostNuke and many others.
Some Wikis are experimenting with weblog features, e.g. TWiki's own
CommentPlugin and
DiscussionForumAddOn as well as
MeatBall:WikiLog and
Pikie:WikiLog. The combination of Wikiness and Blogginess is sometimes termed a
WikiLog.
Many weblogs are also adding Wiki modules - see
PostNuke and
SlashWiki for a couple of examples. However, they will (probably) still look like weblogs (many boxes on each page, wiki fits within this structure), whereas
WikiLogs will look like wikis (simple pages, weblog entries fit within this).
And then, there are some sites playing with building bridges between pre-existing
WebLog and Wiki packages. This approach neither makes a
WebLog out of a Wiki, nor a Wiki out of a
WebLog, but tries to link the two without embedding one within the other. (See
DecafbadWiki:WeblogWithWiki.)
The
ChangesProject on TWiki is also looking at how best to show changes to TWiki sites, which is something of a
WebLog issue. This has been discussed a fair bit on TWiki but I don't know the topic names
What We're Doing When We Blog
There have been many write-ups on blogging. Over the past two or
three years, it's a been nitche defining itself. The essay I like
best is by Meg Hourihan. I found her
article
published in Dave Winer's
DaveNet.
Here's an excerpt that is the nut she builds around:
If we look beneath the content of weblogs, we can observe the common
ground all bloggers share -- the format. The weblog format provides a
framework for our universal blog experiences, enabling the social
interactions we associate with blogging. Without it, there is no
differentiation between the myriad content produced for the Web.
Whether you're a warblogger who works by day as a professional
journalist or you're a teenage high school student worried about your
final exams, you do the same thing: you use your blog to link to your
friends and rivals and comment on what they're doing. Blog posts are
short, informal, sometimes controversial, and sometimes deeply
personal, no matter what topic they approach. They can be
characterized by their conversational tone and unlike a more formal
essay or speech, a blog post is often an opening to a discussion,
rather than a full-fledged argument already arrived at.
As bloggers, we update our sites frequently on the content that
matters to us. Depending on the blogger, the content varies. But
because it's a weblog, formatted reverse-chronologically and
time-stamped, a reader can expect it will be updated regularly. By
placing our email addresses on our sites, or including features to
allow readers to comment directly on a specific post, we allow our
readers to join the conversation. Emails are often rapidly
incorporated back into the site's content, creating a nearly real-time
communication channel between the blog's primary author (its creator)
and its secondary authors (the readers who email and comment).
Weblog software and sites
Here are some lists of weblog sites based on popular weblog software - there are a lot of weblogs out there... From a posting by Julian Bond in mid-2001, mirrored here to bypass Yahoo's intrusive advert. Weblogs are a good source of RSS (
RichSiteSummary) feeds, particularly PHP-Nuke which advertises feeds on the front page.
A great way to find interesting weblogs and specific articles, including those most referenced by other blogs, is
DayPop.
Slashcode Sites
See
SlashCode
Scoop based sites
PHP-Nuke based sites (PhpNuke)
Other weblog software
Most are PHP and
MySQL based.
Integrating MoveableType with TWiki
Here's a site that describes how to integrate MoveableType blogging software with our favorite Wiki software. --
LynnwoodBrown - 07 Dec 2002
Lists of weblog sites
Julian Bond eMail:
julian@n...
HomeURL:
http://www.shockwav.demon.co.uk/
WorkURL:
http://www.netmarketseurope.com/
WebLog:
http://roguemoon.manilasites.com/
I have designed a weblog application entirely within TWiki. It's based on
TopicClassificationAddOn with additional setup description presented
here.
--
LynnwoodBrown - 22 Apr 2005
Media-wiki based WebLog
--
MartinCleaver - 04 Aug 2005