The Blog vs. Website Debate
I’m not the first person to broach this topic and I probably won’t be the last. I’m fascinated with the whole blog vs. website debate. What is really the difference? At the end of the day, isn’t a blog a WYSIWYG HTML editor like FortuneCity, Tripod, Geocities, back in the day?
I used to think that they were inherently the same. As my thinking has matured a bit over time, I’ve reached the conclusion that they are fairly different.
A website is a blank canvas. What you put on that website can be a full featured web-app, an informational website, an e-commerce extravaganza, or other digital binary code.
A blog is a blank canvas with a purpose. Over the past few days, I’ve been hanging out with some technical luddites (my relatives) and they are fascinated that I have a blog. Honestly, it’s nothing special because anyone who can navigate the Internet can head over to one of the many blogging companies and set one up in minutes. The mindset of a blog is that of a diary or something similar: to record and share information. Sometimes, you don’t keep it public and you just write for yourself. Other times, you share information with whomever wants to read it.
Yes, blogs have a blank canvas and you can embed YouTube clips, widgets, wonkettes, and other files, but they are setup so you can share information (type easily) and comment on them as well. Two way communication is important here as Dave Taylor discusses in the above article. Blogs are all about simplicity.
Using blogs vs. websites as a foreshadow of how the future of the Internet will turn-out, it’s really not surprising. Blogs made adding and updating a website simple for the masses. Yes, you lose some flexibility but overall, many people don’t care about that. The easier services and technologies are to use, the more they will grow and become adopted by the mainstream. Simple.