Blog or Website? The Difference?

[ellenjames]

Hi Experienced Bloggers/Website owners! What is the difference between a blog or a website?
Does either take a lot of time away from your writing? Of course, one would be
helpful to advertise your published books and etc.
Thanks for considering these questions.
Ellenjames

[Frenchie]

Hello, EllenJames. A blog is like a diary. You can write there as often as you like, it gives you practice establishing your thoughts, allows you become animated concerning topics dear to you, that sort of thing.

A website is a place where you should focus on displaying your work so editors or other readers can swing by and explore what you've got.

That being said, I don't have either right now, but I will.

[Phy]

CW's Wm Jones provides a perfect example. He has a website (from which you can host or conduct anything) here:
http://www.williamgjones.com/

In his case, it's something of a launching point to other pages or blogs. This is pretty common.

He also has two blogs that links off there here, like this one:
http://www.c4lonline.com/

Blogs are cool for posting whatever you have in mind. Frequently, however, blogs end up suffering from a lack of focus. The more you can fine-tune your interests, the easier it is to maintain interest and momentum on your blog.

In my case, my site /is/ my blog, and deals with my writing and things related to that. It's updated infrequently, but I try to post something there every couple of days for the handful of dedicated readers who stop by.

There are some cool hosting companies out there (I happen to use TextDrive), and there are some equally cool blogging packages (I use WordPress because it is Open Source, which means "free" and "cooperative").

Any site or blog (or site hosting a blog) starts with an idea. Coming up with the right idea can actually be the toughest part of the process. The rest involves software, patience, and focus.

[Frenchie]

Hey, Phy, thanks for directing me to Wm Jones websites and blogs. I've been looking at peoples blogs etc...when I see them in their signatures. Just shopping around. You're correct. His does look and read the best so far. A good place to learn.

[whitehawke]

ellenjames,
I've only been blogging a short time so I'm still getting used to it. I use mine to show some of my photos and artwork. Sometimes poems and at the momment I have done a review on a work by Mr. D.A. Meigs.
I use http://www.blogger.com It is free and quite easy to follow.

[ellenjames]

Thanks, Phy, Francie, ans Whitehawk for the information!
I believe I'll just use one -- my website for now. That will keep me occupied for awhile!
Ellenjames

[Phy]

Thanks, Phy, Francie, ans Whitehawk for the information!
I believe I'll just use one -- my website for now. That will keep me occupied for awhile!
Ellenjames

"for now" is an excellent way to look at it, because the entire "website / blog" thing is like the unfolding of an idea; you start in one place and begin to make your plans, and then it begins to develop and mature as you move along. As you find a site or a software package that does what you need, maybe that suggests another idea, and so it goes.

The important thing (I think) is to start in one place, knowing that it is all relative, and can change tomorrow. Such is the opportunity available to us these days, and the power of one good idea.

[ellenjames]

Thanks again, Phy,
In case you'd like to visit, my website is www.freewebs.com/wayber.
I'm still working on it, so there will be changes made.
Ellenjames (My real name is Bertha Laird and you will see that on the site.)

[Phy]

Looks nice!

The grandest visions starts with the smallest step, and that's looking very nice already.

Knowing what you want to share, and how often, and in what format, is one of the hardest things. I started posting about everything under the sun and realized that most people who know me might appreciate this story or anecdote but not so much whether I know how to make a killer vinegrette. Finding (and keeping) my focus is an on-going battle, and it seems part of the challenge in the entire website / blogging community. I like Wm Jones' implementation of different blogs for different things - helps the reader to choose what they'd like to follow, and helps to know which "hat" the author is writing from and which audience they are writing for at any given time, a fine idea.

[Frenchie]

Say, Ellenjames,
You know what might sound like other side of the moon right now to you, but don't discount it, is podcasting. I have one I use for presenting my edgiest stuff so I'll keep it under my hat for now. However, a number of people use them simply for reading their work. I know one lady who writes children stories and has her own 'Story Time' network. It's pretty neat!

Worth keeping in mind.

[wgjones3]

I don't know if it's free or not, but http://wordpress.com/ offers Wordpress blog hosting (and I don't really see anywhere that it says it charges for the service).

[writegirl1949]

I have both website and blog. I struggled long and hard trying to decide how I wanted to present myself on the web.

The result is the web site which focuses on my book but also gives visitors a sense of who I am, my beliefs, and my writing. I designed the web site myself and then my husband got it up and running. A major accomplishment because of dealing with the German telephone system over here. It needs updating (the book is out and I need to post the cover on the site), but we'll wait until we return to the States. I do link to several other sites from my website and from my blog.

My blog has really turned into more than I intended. While I don't use one specific theme, I felt led to do a series on the Beatitudes, and then I did Christmas posts for 25 days. I'm getting a fair number of folks stopping by and I'm thankful. And the blog has really disciplined me in two ways. First, listening to God's leading and obediently following. Second, I think I've honed my writing down to shorter pieces. Of course, trying to obediently post on a regular basis helps keep folks coming back.

I think two things are most important ... consistency and quality. Information on both web site and blog have been edited and proofed many, many times. And, there is an error on the web site, lol. The next time we make changes, we'll correct it.

The web site isn't free, the blog is.

Hope that helps you out some, Ellenjames.

Blessings, Francine