name: Blog Master
Your Blog's Syndication
29 March, 2007
You have probably noticed the final element in your Al Bawaba blog’s sidebar: Syndicate. If you have ever wondered what RSS and Atom mean, then read this article to learn what they stand for.
RSS is basically a web feed that strips a blog of its formatting and keeps the content. It is used to publish frequently updated content (like blogs), and it is then read by certain programs called “feed readers” or “feed burners.” Atom is a different web feed but it has the same function.
In general, syndication means distributing articles or posts through a “syndicate.” A syndicate is an RSS or Atom feed. Your Al Bawaba blog already offers you these two types of web feeds.
The benefit of having web feeds for your blog is that you can gain access to an audience that uses feed readers (like Bloglines). These people simply read your blog through these programs, which saves them time and effort. The feed reader checks the user's subscribed feeds to see if any of those feeds have new content and then retrieves that content and presents it to the user.
Displaying Your Albums in Your Blog
14 March, 2007
Al Bawaba Blogs allows you to create albums that contain several types of documents – from audio and video to images and documents. And not only that, but you can also easily display your albums on your blog without having to use third-party services.
To display your albums to the public in your blog, refer to Files & Photos and access the folder you want to edit. Once there, check the final box in the page under “Show” to display the contents of this folder.
It is incredibly easy to have photo galleries using your Al Bawaba blog. Furthermore, you can always hide your albums if you do not want them to be public anymore. This is a great way to share your pictures, videos, and anything else with your readers. It’s all right there in your Al Bawaba blog!
Tip of the Week: Link Your Comments
08 March, 2007
As a new trend, we will start giving out tips on blogging and everything related to blogging in the form of short tips. Tips are easier to read through, and are usually short. A new tip will come your way every week.
The first tip in this series is to link your comments to your blog. When you make comments on other people’s blogs, Al Bawaba users or not, you should always leave a link (URL) to your blog.
You can find a space that lets you enter the link in the commenting section of almost every blog out there. This is a great tool for you to promote your blog and have people visit it, especially if you write quality comments.
A Specialized Blog: Why and Why Not
01 March, 2007
A specialized blog is a space where the blogger writes about one exclusive subject and only focuses on this subject and everything related to it.
For example, if a person is interested in photography then he or she can start a blog only about photography. This blogger will not publish anything irrelevant to photography, and will only write about the science of photography – tips and tricks, techniques, developments, news, etc.
To have a specialized blog means that the type of people your blog would attract is only those people who share your enthusiasm over the subject you write about. In that sense, your specialized blog has its advantages of becoming somewhat of a “reference” in that specific subject. Also, it is often specialized blogs that have potential of growth and getting picked up by professionals. A specialized blogger is a professional blogger who is likely to be seen as an expert in his or her field.
But specialized blogging has its disadvantages as well. Most certainly, your specialized blog will not attract a diversified reader base because it will only be limited to people who are as interested as you are in your chosen subject. It also means that you are likely to receive links only from bloggers who share your interest, so your potential to expand may be limited within the fields of your subject.
If you are having a hard time deciding if you want to start a specialized blog, always remember to do what feels right to you. After all, blogging is all about practicing your right to share your interest, or interests, with other people.
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