Blog Technologies

Posted Mon, 02/11/2008 - 22:07 by Erik

One of the most powerful technologies in the Web 2.0 arsenal isn't so much a technology as it is a style of communication. I'm referring to a blog, which derives it name from the combination of the words web log, meaning a website where entries are written and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. You can learn from links at the end of this article, but here I'll focus on understanding backend technology.

In fact, blogs have been built by virtually every kind of technology, such as plain HTML, ASP, JSP, PHP, CFM, etc. Consequently, what's important is not the programming language, but rather the architecture (meaning the components).

In simple terms, there are two kinds of blog solutions:

  1. A hosted blog where all data and the publishing interface reside on the server of the blogging software company, providing a "turnkey" solution, and
  2. An independent blog where you download and install the software on your own server.

In both cases, the blog is set up and controlled by a database that handles the posts and the way they may be sliced and diced for display. Nearly all blog software stores posts in a database, which permits handy things like searching and archiving. Blog appearance and layout is usually controlled by templates that define background color and logo placement and content formatting.

In addition to database content and templates, the more recent use of blog analytics has produced a revolution in online journalism. In the old days, the credibility of a journalist came largely through publisher association, such as NY Times or WSJ. However, with the advent Google Analytics, Technorati, and other blogging of analytics, bloggers develop their credibility as a result of others linking to their articles and naming them as a favorite blogger. As a result, a blog is not a monologue, but rather one voice in a larger conversation that makes up the blogosphere.

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