You wrote, “Right now, blogs are talked about mainly in the sense of an indivudal keeping a journal on behalf of themselves or a company, product etc.”

That’s why I wrote this: “What’s a Blog? Bag the Stereotypes”
- http://snipurl.com/loza

Enjoy,

- Amy Gahran
RightConversation.com
Contentious.com

Right now, blogs are talked about mainly in the sense of an indivudal keeping a journal on behalf of themselves or a company, product etc. As blogs mature as a type of media (we are at a very, very early stage), this will change. In the meantime, the end-all-be-all of conversations about blogs – and the backlash against the hype that’s already started – will cause many to simply not take a blog strategy seriously.

You wrote, “Perhaps there should be more discussion that differentials between blogs/blogosphere the conversational media, and the weblog publishing tool.”

Here’s how I look at it:

- A blog is a kind of web site that can be used for publishing or to support a public conversation.

- A blogging tool is content management software used to create and publish a blog (the site, and the database that supports it).

- Conversational media is using media tools or channels to publicly converse with a writer/speaker and each other. (Blogs are just one form of this.)

Note that none of these definitions touch on the form or style of content — for a good reason. You can use a blog to publish any kind of content you want.

It’s about as useful to talk about “blog style” (in general, rather than for a specific blog or blog genre) as it is to talk about “TV style” or “sidewalk chalk drawing style,” IMHO.

Not all blogs are informal, brief, or conversational, and that’s fine. It doesn’t invalidate them.

IMHO, of course

- Amy Gahran
RightConversation.com
Contentious.com