A blog is a “web log.” Think of it as a diary of sorts, except instead of being private, you share it with the world via online daily or weekly posts—and the world shares back with you via comments.
A blog may be written by an individual (such as, an author), or may have multiple contributors (such as, a publisher who invites authors to participate or a group of authors who have something in common).
Blogs consist of regular entries called “posts”—which may contain commentaries, editorials, reviews, announcements, musings, or whatever you want. You may also include images and videos. Posts are displayed in reverse chronological order, meaning your newest posts display at the top of the blog.
Blogs are interactive, allowing others to add comments to your posts. You can also use your blog to run contests with your books as prizes (a sneaky way to advertise that costs very little). You may also add fun gadgets, link your blog to Facebook and Twitter, and do all sorts of things to get your name and your books noticed.
The important thing to remember is that a blog becomes a conversation between you and your readers. To be most effective, that conversation needs to be regular, inviting, friendly, informative—in short, it must be worth the time it takes to read it.
Blogs are as different as the personalities of their writers. They may center on a specific topic or be a “slice of life” series of postings. As an author, you want your blog to have a healthy dose of both your work (book information) and your personality.
*Image "borrowed" from smbmarketingguide.com
