The recent recession and ongoing financial crisis has taken a heavy toll on businesses in the UK. Among the hardest hit were local newspapers. In 2011, the final editions of more than 30 weekly newspapers rolled off the presses and into history, titles such as the Hertford & Ware Scene, the Scarborough Trader and Yeovil Times.
Small companies in the areas served by these papers will be among those mourning their passing. Local weekly papers have long been one of the best ways for a company to target customers, either through advertising or editorial coverage.
There are many reasons for the wave of closures but reductions in advertising revenue and the changing habits of readers are two of the most important.
But as one door closes, another opens. While the internet has had a deleterious effect on newspaper circulations, it has also lowered the barriers to publishing. Anyone with time to spare and a small amount of technical knowledge can now set themselves up as an internet publishing company by starting a blog using simple platforms such as WordPress and Blogger. While some blogs focus on a theme such as food or fashion, a growing number of bloggers are writing about what is happening in their local area and are making money from it.
BLOGS BLOGS BLOGS have been around for about 10 years. The word stands for ’web log’ and they’re effectively online diaries. Anyone can set one up, that’s the easy part. Thinking of something interesting to say each time you blog is the tricky bit.
What’s a blog?
A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.
Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.
In simple terms, a blog is a website, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what’s new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.
Since Blogger was launched in 1999, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others.
And we are pretty sure the whole deal is just getting started.
A blog gives you your own voice on the web. It is a place to collect and share things that you find interesting— whether it is your political commentary, a personal diary or links to websites that you want to remember.
Many people use a blog just to organise their own thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands. Professional and amateur journalists use blogs to publish breaking news, while personal journalisers reveal inner thoughts.
Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person and are updated pretty regularly. Blogs are often (but not always) written on a particular topic – there are blogs on virtually any topic you can think of. From photography, to spirituality, to recipes, to personal diaries to hobbies – blogging has as many applications and varieties as you can imagine. Whole blog communities have sprung up around some of these topics putting people into contact with each other in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends with and even do business with people with similar interests from around the world.
