If you have considered creating a blog and becoming an internet blogger, you have probably wondered where the name comes from and how this form of content came about. So, what does blog stand for? Read on to find out the history and origins of the word “blog” and what it means today.
What Is a Blog?
A blog is typically a personal website, or online journal regularly updated with new entries or "posts." Blogs can be about any topic, from politics to pop culture, and can be written in various styles. Some bloggers use their platform to share their thoughts and opinions on current events, while others use it as a way to document their everyday lives.
A Brief History of Blogs
The first known blog was created by a man named Justin Hall in 1994. Hall was a student at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, and he used his blog to keep track of his thoughts and experiences. This simple blog paved the way for the thousands of bloggers that would come after.
Today, there are millions of blogs on the internet, covering virtually every topic imaginable. And while some bloggers have found fame and fortune, others are content with the satisfaction of knowing that they are connected to a global community of like-minded individuals.
What Does Blog Stand For?
The word blog is a portmanteau of the words “web” and “log.” The term “weblog” was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. The short form “blog” is credited to Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase web log in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in 1999. He came up with it by dropping the “e” from “weblog” after deciding it looked odd, which resulted in the fact that today, blog is short for “web log.”
Throughout the 1990s, other terms for web journals were used by various people, including online diary, personal homepage, journal/diary/weblog, and travelog. Merholz's neologism is widely accepted as contributing the most to the term "blog" being commonly used.
Another much more recent term used for this type of content is a vlog. Unlike a blog, a vlog is short for “video log” because that kind of blogging features video instead of written content.
Learn more: Blog vs Vlog
Is Blog an Acronym?
As you can see from the section above, the word “blog” is not an acronym. It is actually a truncated, i.e., shortened version of the term “weblog.” Today, “blog” is used as both a noun and a verb.
What Does the B in Blog Stand For?
There are many theories regarding the coinage of the term “blog” and what b in the word actually stands for. One source claims that the b in blog comes from the word “bit,” as in a small piece of information. The term “log” comes from the fact that early websites were actually online logs of personal thoughts or events.
Another theory is that the “b” stands for “broadcast.” This interpretation emphasizes the fact that blogs are a way for users to share their ideas with a wide audience. The most popular of the bunch, though, is the one stating that it is what’s left of the term “web log,” which is what blog is short for.
Wrap-up
So, what does blog stand for? As we stated in the article, this is an abbreviation — the word blog stands for “web log.” A blog is a website where people can share their thoughts and ideas on a regular basis. Blogging began in the late 1990s as an online diary of sorts and has since evolved into a powerful marketing tool used by businesses and specialized content marketing agencies worldwide to reach new customers and drive sales.
