Oh, the irony.
A couple of days ago, we asked people in our community to submit their blogs to be listed in a local blog directory we’ve been planning to launch here on the Flyer.
After three or four entries, we hit a brick wall. In other words, we came upon a submission that we couldn’t define as being a blog or not. A few entries later, the same thing happened. And then again.
Which led us to an eye-rolling discussion about what defines a blog. It’s a debate we’ve had many times here at the Flyer but this time, we needed a definitive answer in order to move forward with our directory. Each time we thought we’d found an answer, there was a loophole in our logic that put us back to square one.
So our question is this: Is there any logical way to define a blog or are listings in a blog directory nothing more than an editorial decision?
I first turned to Twitter to see what I could find but 140 characters just wasn’t cutting it.
Listed below are a few starter questions that might help to get a discussion started:
Is a blog defined by…
Pro vs. Amateur Author? – Veteran or noob? Job or hobby?
Display of content? – Chronological or categorical?
Subject? – Niche or general interest? Hyperlocal or regional?
Objectivity? – Opinion or facts?
Byline Transparency? – Knowing exactly who the author is?
Old vs. New? – Is anything that’s not traditional automatically a blog?
What are your thoughts?
