Gadget smart
With Ozioma Ubabukoh
TUESDAY , SEPTEMBER 27 , 2016
07053937947 oubabukoh @ punchng . com
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# Quick fact
What is a blog ?
blog ( a truncation of the expression ‘ weblog ’) is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete , often informal diary-style text entries (“ posts ”). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order , so that the most recent post appears first , at the top of the web page . Until 2009 , blogs were usually the work of a single individual , occasionally of a small group , and often covered a single subject or topic . In the 2010s , ‘ multi-author blogs ’ ( MABs ) have developed , with posts written by large numbers of authors and sometimes professionally edited . MABs from newspapers , other media outlets , universities , think tanks , advocacy groups , and similar institutions account for an increasing quantity of blog traffic . The rise of Twitter and other “ microblogging ” systems helps integrate MABs and single-author blogs into the news media . Blog can also be used as a verb , meaning ‘ to maintain or add content to a blog ’.
How to build blogs with your smartphone
Once you have your phone , all you need are the right tools and some knowledge , and you can create an excellent blog . Here are some suggestions that may prove useful :
1 . Micro blog
More and more bloggers are finding that the majority of their readers engage with their posts via mobile devices . This is good news for bloggers ; since when bloggers use mobile devices to access posts , they are usually looking for just small chunks of text to read . That means bloggers can reach a wider audience with bite-sized bits of content designed for mobile use that supplement their regular full-length posts .
The most important thing in a blog is to communicate daily . It is true that longer blog posts tend to perform better overall than small bits of information , but micro-blogging is growing in popularity , and when combined with social media , it is a big hit .
2 . Use mobile apps
Apps are essential for running a great blog on your mobile device , and there are hundreds available . When you need to update your blog , track analytics , post photos , link to social media , or perform any number of small changes to your blog , using a mobile app can help ease the process .
Most bloggers recommend using the following types of apps :
• Blogging platform apps : Whether you use WordPress , Blogger , or another platform , having the app downloaded on your phone should be your first step when mobile blogging .
• Text editor : To make sure you don ’ t lose your work inside your blogging app platform , it ’ s recommended that you use a text editor app like Google Docs , which instantly saves your work as you type .
• Photo editing : Most of your photos will be taken with a professional camera and edited on a computer , but when you want to snap a quick photo on your phone , a good photo editor like Pixlr Express can make your life easier .
• Social networking : Have various social apps downloaded on your phone , including Facebook , Instagram , Snapchat , Twitter , and any other relevant network . You might also choose to use an app like Buffer , which controls all of your social networks within one platform .
• Analytics : You have to know how your blogs are performing daily , and traffic and data analysis apps like Google Analytics will tell you everything you need to know .
3 . Find a good text editor
As mentioned previously , a good text editor is essential for running a good blog through your phone . You can always compose your blog posts in the blogging platform app , but these apps aren ’ t notorious for having great text editors . They are more focused on the function of the blog itself than the text editor , which means it can have glitches in essential functions , like backing up your post or running spell check .
A good text editor app , such as Google Docs , Sublime Text , Notepad , and Vim allow you to write and edit text without risking lost work . Many of these apps also offer coding capabilities , which allow more web design-savvy bloggers to publish their posts on their custom websites .
4 . Send posts through email
An up-and-coming form of blogging is email blogging . Essentially , bloggers collect emails from their readers and send an occasional blog post through email . This offers an exclusive look to subscribers on your latest posts . Most people check their email on their phones daily , so they are more than likely to see it through email than through your blog .
If you use WordPress , you can also adjust your email settings so that it automatically posts to your blog . The platform offers a unique address that can be used to type a blog post through your email and have it publish on your blog . This can be useful , since email offers many of the spell check and draft-saving features of a text editor , and it is easy to access on your mobile device .
5 . Use mobile-optimised photos
All of these tips are great for posting text to your blog , but as you well know , if you don ’ t have photos , your post won ’ t perform well . As a general rule of thumb , your photos must beoptimised for mobile use before posting through your phone .
Many bloggers employ the use of photo portfolio sites like Flickr . This photo-sharing site will automatically resize and optimise your photos for responsive use , so when you publish a blog post through your email or your blogging platform app , the photos won ’ t have any problem transitioning from small screen to large and vice versa .
Blogging almost entirely through your mobile device once seemed impossible , but now , it ’ s a simple process . As long as you have the right tools , you can work effectively from anywhere without the hassle of a larger device .
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What is a vlog ? video blog or video log , usually shortened to vlog , is a form of blog for which the medium is video , and is a form of web television . Vlog entries often combine embedded video ( or a video link ) with supporting text , images , and other metadata . Entries can be recorded in one take or cut into multiple parts . The vlog category is popular on YouTube .
Video logs ( vlogs ) also often take advantage of web syndication to allow for the distribution of video over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats , for automatic aggregation and playback on mobile devices and personal computers .
• Source : Wikipedia