Blog

A blog is a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.

Open source blog software is an extremely popular way to administer a website. Gone are the days of static HTML websites. With blog software, an HTML5 and CSS3 compliant website can be created in seconds and without any technical knowledge or experience in these modern web development technologies themselves. HTML and CSS novices with zero experience can build and operate their own blog or company website with blog software. Commonly called a content management system, a blog CMS typically provides a standard set of features that allow for easier website management.

Settings

This generally includes a settings panel, allowing you to adjust the website’s base URL, website name, link structure, and other essential settings.

Appearance

It also commonly includes an appearance panel where you can install a custom theme and make changes to the layout of the website. Appearance settings will allow you to change color schemes, the website’s logo, menu items, sidebar elements, and more.

Pages and Posts

Of course, most open source blog software also provides page and post settings, where you can add new pages or blog posts to the website. Here you can also edit existing pages such as making search engine optimization adjustments or adding additional content.

Media

Most blog content management systems will also have a media panel, where you can upload and store media such as images, videos, and other file formats. This can be very handy for organizing and keeping track of uploaded media.

Plugins

Perhaps the most promising feature of blog software is the integration of a plugin system. Also called addons, open-source blogging CMS’ that utilize plugins allow you to extend the functionality of your website using installable plugins that have been developed by a community in support of the software. Blog content management systems often have very far-reaching development communities and millions of active users. These huge communities contribute to a free plugin database that becomes extensive and incredibly useful, as seen with popular blog software such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.

While the software developers themselves encouraged this by creating a CMS that’s open source and easily customizable, they often do not contribute by developing free plugins themselves. Rather, they count on the community to support the blog software and continuously grow and enable new features for the platform through their contributions. You will often see significant commercial developments (paid plugins) that are dependent on the blog software and platform. WordPress has tens of thousands of plugins with more than a billion total downloads to date. Most of this is been achieved through its popularity and fast free plugin database, although many of its paid plug-ins have been considered significant successes.

What makes blog software superior?

One thing you may have noticed with modern blog software is that it’s the most popular among open source scripts and content management systems. In large part, this is due to the enormous growth seen in web development. As businesses and individuals recognized the ease behind installing and operating a modern-day website, its popularity grew. Suddenly, the DIY blogger became popularized and small businesses that didn’t have a significant budget set aside for web-based advertising were able to jump on board. Today, blog software continues to be superior in comparison to other open source platforms. However, website builders that offer a drag-and-drop customization process have grown significantly since their inception. In fact, many blog content management systems have been attempting to offer similar technology by providing drag-and-drop page builders through plugin installations.

How blog software extends beyond pages and posts

Blog software can accomplish more than your traditional blog post. Through the use of plugins and customized themes, a blog CMS can be used for news portals, real estate listings, classified ads, forums, dating websites, wiki pages, e-commerce shopping, and much more. Blog software has become the foundation to which many varieties of websites are built and today, it’s entirely possible to build any type of website on a blogging platform.

Is blog software free and where can it be downloaded?

Most blog software is provided completely free, it’s often open source and can be downloaded from the developer’s website. For instance, you can find WordPress at Wordpress.org, Joomla at Joomla.org, and Drupal at Drupal.org. These are the three most popular blogging platforms, all of which are free and easily downloadable, to be installed on a web hosting server.