Blog evolved from the original term ‘Weblog’. They are commonly a form of web journal allowing the writer to cover a range of topics that are relevant to the key business or message of the site. There are a number of different software platforms and tools available but to the end users the presentation will always appear familiar as the home page will often be a series of posts with the opportunity for discussion available.
Whilst it is not a prerequisite of the format that they be more informal, most businesses that host a blog will tend to use it as an opportunity to engage with their customers in a more relaxed manner. This differentiates blog use amongst enterprises from more formal communications such as press releases even though similar topics may be covered in the entries.
The ease with which a blog can be set up and the range of different tools and hosting options (many free) has lead to a huge number of private individuals choosing to blog. Everything from ‘mommies blogs’ to tech blogs can get huge amounts of traffic and therefore be monetised profitably with advertising, sales etc.