NATURALEZA DEL ESTADO

Even if blogs have a relatively short history, when compared to the history of the Internet itself.

Blogs have been a scene-stealer in the branding industry for the past ten years and have become an integral part of online culture. Recently they had become part of the most companies’

marketing plans. It’s recognised that the first blog was Links.net, created by Justin Hall in 1994, while he was a student. But, at that time they weren’t called blogs, but just personal homepage.

It was so until 1997 than John Barger called his site with the term “weblog", to reflect the process of “logging the web”. Programmer Peter Merholz shortened “weblog” to “blog” in 1999. The original blogs were updated manually, often not very efficient, and with particular programmer skills needed. In 1999, Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan started the platform that would later become Blogger. Blogger is the platform that gave the possibility to everyone to write and publish about everything. From the beginning of 2000, blogging became a mass phenomenon with the launching of new platforms as WordPress e Splinder²⁴.

There are many different types of blogs, differing not only in the type of content but also in the way that content is delivered or written.²⁵

1. Personal Blog is an online diary, written by an individual. The vast majority of personal blogs are read only by few, which usually are friends and relatives, but a small number of personal blogs have become popular, to the point of earning a salary through blogging.

2. Collaborative blogs is a type of weblog in which posts are written and published by more than one author.

3. Microblogging is the practice of posting small pieces of digital content. When it comes to microblogging, many people think of Twitter, but there are other microblog platforms that allow posting more. Tumblr, for example was the first major site to offer a variety of different post types.

Everyone is blogging, from the huge companies as Google to simple writers. For businesses, blogging is kind of advertising. Instead, on the individual level it is more a reflection of the personal passions. Blogging is a powerful tool in Personal Branding. The blogger has the power to put out content he wants, and so building a desired Personal Brand. Blogs are usually available to everyone, so a good blog is a key element for PB. Colin Wright in his e-book

24 http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/03/a-brief-history-of-blogging/

25 Wikipedia.com

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“Personal Branding” gives some tips on how to make a blog memorable: first is the design. A nicely designed and an easy to use interface will leave a good opinion. The second is the content, which has to reflect the personality of the Personal Brand. The third is becoming part of the global blogging community. If the content one writes is interesting, it might be shared by organisations, influencers and in this way increasing the visibility of the Personal Brand.

Blogging is the easiest way to share the personal story, values, ideas and thoughts. All that is needed is a computer or a smartphone and an Internet connection. “A blog is an online diary that you are willing to let others read and comment on.” (Colin Wright, 2009) It should be like an anchor, at the centre of the personal promotional campaign.

There are several blogging platforms and it’s important to choose the right one. WordPress is the most powerful blogging platform in the world.

It's easy to use and with only six steps in a couple of minutes is possible to create a blog or a website. It's also possible to choose among many types of free templates for creating the desired design. Among many things that the platform offers are:

1. The possibility to write and to organise the posts into categories (for example branding, travels, etc.)

2. The opportunity to add media and links that can be used later for posts

3. The possibility to change the themes, background and to edit the website or blog 4. To add members and manage the comments

5. The option to add plugins (a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a computer program)

6. WordPress offers "The Stats," a page that tells everything about the personal site's traffic and visitors.

Once the account on Wordpress has created, it’s instantly possible to publish a post. The following is the representation step by step on how to write a post for the blog or website:

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Figure 3.9 WordPress blog home page

Source: Wordpress.com

1. By simply clicking on the button on the right of the number one bullet, it is possible to start writing a post

2. In the top box goes the title of the blog and under there is the panel with the tools necessary for writing

3. The big box is the place for the content, which can be text, videos, pictures or a combination of them

4. Categories and tags. They are not necessary but is better to have everything organised.

The tag helps to describe the post key idea

5. It’s possible to share the content on other social media 6. Post format is the way the article will look on the blog wall

7. The other options are the opportunity to add the location, to allow or not the comments, etc.

A blog used in tandem with a strong website can be an even more powerful tool. Websites are an important part of marketing. It’s impossible to imagine a company without a website, and soon the same will also be for the individuals. The website can be very simple or very complex depending on who the person is. (Colin Wright, 2009) In the next chapter are presented some of the Search Engine Optimisation techniques that can help to increase the visibility of the website in the search engines.

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