What is?
Weblog or Blog Software
Weblog software (also called blog software or blogware) is a category of software which consists of a specialized form of Content Management Systems specifically designed for creating and maintaining weblogs otherwise known as blogs.
Blog Server Models
Many weblog or blog software applications are available for users to download and install on their own computer systems. A wide variety of software licenses are used by user hosted weblog or blog software. Some of the blog software are open-source software that can be used, modified, and redistributed freely, with no usage restrictions. Others are proprietary blog software that may be licensed for a fee or have versions available free of charge.
Other weblog or blog software applications are offered only through their developers' hosts, either free of charge or for a fee. These typically include hosting service for the published blog itself, but some offer the option of using this hosted blog software to update a published blog.
Blog Editing
Maintenance through the Internet is a nearly universal feature of weblog or blog software. This is usually done through a browser-based interface, enabling authors to create and update content on the website. Most blog software supports the use of external client software to update content using common APIs such as the MetaWeblog API and the Atom Publishing Protocol.
Blog Software Features
- Title, the main title, or headline, of the post.
- Body, main content of the post.
- Permalink, the URL of the full, individual article.
- Post Date, date and time the post was published.
A blog entry optionally includes the following:
- Comments -
Comments are a way to provide discussion on blog entries. Readers can leave a comment on a blog post, which can correct errors or contain their opinion on the blog post or the blog post's subject. Services like coComment aim to ease blog discussion through comments, by allowing tracking of them by the following:
- Categories (or tags) - subjects that the blog entry discusses
- Trackback and or pingback - links to other sites that refer to the blog entry
Other Blog Software Applications
Most weblog or blog software have features such as facilitating authoring and editing of blog posts or articles, various linking and web syndication features, and the ability to easily publish the blog to the world wide web. Some services or organizations are also creating weblog or blog software applications with extended features to aid communication, such as the wiki capabilities in Socialtext and Traction TeamPage.
Many weblog or blog software applications allow the user to define static pages of content which can often be placed into a hierarchy or tree. Webpages differ from blog posts in that the content is largely static and not time related. Webpages are often used to present information about the blog and its authors. Extensive use of webpages can result in a blog that looks more like a website.
Most weblog or blog software applications support English and many other languages. The blog software user selects a language during installation.
Weblog or blog software applications usually offer web syndication service either in the form of RSS or Atom. This allows for other software such as feed aggregators to maintain a current summary of the blog's content.
Post blog software moderation requires the people who want to comment on articles that are posted on a blog to be approved before the comments are visible to the world. It could also mean in some cases where multiple people have blog accounts and the ability to post new blog content to the blog that new content must be approved by a moderator or administrator before it shows up on the main blog page. Weblog or blog software applications use various user account systems that allow readers to post comments to a particular blog. For instance, users with Blogger accounts may comment on any Blogger blog. Other weblog or blog software applications allow users to post blog content or comments only to blogs where they have an account.
The Post API can vary greatly depending on the system that you are using. Some types of blogware have plugins for Firefox that integrate into the browser's menus so that right-clicking on selected text on any given webpage will bring up a small window that allows the user to post to their blog. Other types of blogware that do not have this type of interface require a person to fill out a form online. The form that is required for posting material to a blog depends on the type of blogware. Some types such as Movable Type contain a greater number of form fields and choices than ones such as Blogger.
All types of blogware support adding thumbnail images within blog posts. Photo blogging is a separate genre of blogging that deals primarily with images.
Documentation and Support
Different blogware packages feature varying levels of community support and documentation. Because the installation of some types of software requires an advanced knowledge of computer administration, community support and documentation can be very helpful. The web servers and database software can be more difficult to install than the blogware itself. Also a strong and active community surrounding the blogware gives advice on integrating the blogware into a personal site.
User Hosted Blogs
Blog Software packages installed by blog authors to run on their own systems.
A partial list of notable weblog or blog software follows:
Free/Libre/Open-Source Software
These Blog software packages are offered under a Free/Libre/Open-Source Software license. Therefore they are free for everyone to use. Also, commercial support contracts are often available.
- Apache Roller (Java-based)
- b2evolution (PHP/MySQL)
- blosxom (Perl)
- PyBlosxom (Python)
- Dotclear (PHP/MySQL)
- Drupal (PHP/MySQL)
- Elgg (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP)
- Habari (PHP/MySQL,SQLite)
- Livejournal (Perl) (Also available, developer hosted)
- LifeType (PHP/MySQL)
- Movable Type (also offered in developer hosted form as TypePad)
- Nucleus CMS (PHP)
- phsBlog (PHP/MySQL)
- Picoplog (PHP) (photoblog)
- Pixelpost (PHP/MySQL) (photoblog)
- Serendipity (PHP/MySQL,PostgreSQL,SQLite)
- SimplePHPBlog (PHP/TXT)
- Slash (Perl/MySQL)
- Subtext (C#/ASP.NET)
- Textpattern (PHP/MySQL)
- Typo (Ruby on Rails)
- WordPress (PHP/MySQL) - also offered in developer hosted form as Wordpress.com
Proprietary Blog Software
These blog software packages are under a proprietary license. They may require the purchase of a license key to use them. The specific licensing terms vary but some are free for personal or non-commercial use.
- Community Server (also offered in developer hosted form as CommunityServer.com)
- ExpressionEngine
- Radio UserLand
- Traction TeamPage
- Windows Live Writer (Free of charge)
Unknown Blog Software License
- Battle Blog
- Blogsphere
Developer Hosted
Blog Software services operated by the developer, requiring no blog software installation for the blog author:
- Battle Blog
- Blog.com
- Blogabond
- Blogger
- Blogging Systems
- Blogonize
- BlogSavy
- Blue Kaffee
- Blurty
- DeadJournal
- GreatestJournal
- LiveJournal
- InsaneJournal
- MySpace
- Open Diary
- Quillpill
- Square Space
- TypePad
- Typo
- Windows Live Spaces
- Wordpress.com (hosted version of WordPress)
- Xanga
- Vox
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