Question of the Week
Seems like everyone has a blog these days. What is a blog ? How do I create one?
-- Pema Choden, Thimphu
Answer
A blog (short for web-log) is the online equivalent of a diary or journal. However, there is one major difference between a blog and a diary: while a diary is often private and offline, the content of the blog is available online and is usually shared with anyone on the Internet. In a blog you can post text, photos, videos and music. A person who writes a blog is called a blogger. People who read your blog entries can typically post comments, thus creating interactive conversations. Some blogs are personal, where bloggers write about their own thoughts and experiences. Other blogs are topical, where bloggers share and spread knowledge about specific topics or hobbies. Organizations can also create blogs as a way to communicate with their customers or the general public.
One of the main advantages of blogs is that they are very easy to set up. You will usually need no technical knowledge to create and maintain a blog. Also, there are websites that allow you to create a blog for free. These websites are called "blogging platforms". The ones that I recommend are blogger.com, wordpress.com and tumblr.com. While most bloggers in Bhutan use blogger.com, the other two platforms are also highly recommended. tumblr.com is recommended for short posts (called microblogging) - a few sentences, a single photo, a link to a webpage, etc. You might want to give all of these blogging platforms a try and see which one you like best.
To create a blog, start by registering to the blogging platform of your choice. You will then be asked to choose a subdomain (for example, myblog.tumblr.com) and a blog name. Within minutes you will be able to share your wisdom with the world. Just remember: Your ramblings can be seen by anyone.
The best way to to learn about blogs is to read a few. While a couple of years ago there were barely a handful of Bhutanese blogs, today there are hundreds, and new ones are created daily. Here's a selection of some of Bhutan's more popular ones, listed alphabetically:
Seems like everyone has a blog these days. What is a blog ? How do I create one?
-- Pema Choden, Thimphu
Answer
A blog (short for web-log) is the online equivalent of a diary or journal. However, there is one major difference between a blog and a diary: while a diary is often private and offline, the content of the blog is available online and is usually shared with anyone on the Internet. In a blog you can post text, photos, videos and music. A person who writes a blog is called a blogger. People who read your blog entries can typically post comments, thus creating interactive conversations. Some blogs are personal, where bloggers write about their own thoughts and experiences. Other blogs are topical, where bloggers share and spread knowledge about specific topics or hobbies. Organizations can also create blogs as a way to communicate with their customers or the general public.
One of the main advantages of blogs is that they are very easy to set up. You will usually need no technical knowledge to create and maintain a blog. Also, there are websites that allow you to create a blog for free. These websites are called "blogging platforms". The ones that I recommend are blogger.com, wordpress.com and tumblr.com. While most bloggers in Bhutan use blogger.com, the other two platforms are also highly recommended. tumblr.com is recommended for short posts (called microblogging) - a few sentences, a single photo, a link to a webpage, etc. You might want to give all of these blogging platforms a try and see which one you like best.
To create a blog, start by registering to the blogging platform of your choice. You will then be asked to choose a subdomain (for example, myblog.tumblr.com) and a blog name. Within minutes you will be able to share your wisdom with the world. Just remember: Your ramblings can be seen by anyone.
The best way to to learn about blogs is to read a few. While a couple of years ago there were barely a handful of Bhutanese blogs, today there are hundreds, and new ones are created daily. Here's a selection of some of Bhutan's more popular ones, listed alphabetically:
- dorjiwangchuck.blogspot.com Dorji Wangchuck, director of ROM, created one of Bhutan's first blogs
- theganzinlife.blogspot.com Tashi P. Ganzi writes about all things Bhutanese
- tsheringtobgay.com Opposition leader Tshering Tobgay blogs about "Life and Politics in Democratic Bhutan"
- writebhutan.blogspot.com Passang "PaSsu" Tshering, a high-school teacher from Wangdue, writes about the life of "an Ordinary Bhutanese"
- yesheydorji.blogspot.com Photographer Yeshey Dorji shares his stories, thoughts and snapshots
No comments:
Post a Comment
We love to hear from our readers!
Comments are reviewed before being published, so it might take a few hours before you see your comments posted.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.