In order to keep up with today’s blogosphere I thought that I would bring my readership up to speed on some of the terminology used throughout the blogosphere. You might have heard some of these blog-related terms before and some might be new to you.
Blogosphere: The universe of blogs. “Blogosphere (alternate: blogsphere) is the collective term encompassing all weblogs or blogs; blogs as a community; blogs as a social network. Weblogs are densely interconnected; bloggers read others’ blogs, link to them, reference them in their own writing, and post comments on each others’ blogs. Because of this, the interconnected blogs have grown their own culture. “
Blog Troll: In short a blog troll is a blogger who wants attention. This blogger maintains a blog with an obsessive drive to flame another blogger. Their posts are often outright lies and made in an attempt to provoke readers into a flame war. The blog trolls primary source of nourishment is one of baiting. They use a number of techniques to manipulate people.
Bleg: A blog where one asks for donations. A blog entry consisting of a request to the readers, such as for information or contributions. A portmanteau of “blog” and “beg”. Also called “Lazyweb.”
Blogorrhea: Typically refers to meaningless ranting and raving on a blog.
Bloglet: A short blog entry or a series of random thoughts in a single blog entry.
Blogsnob: A person who refuses to respond to comments on their blog from people outside their circle of friends.
Bloll: A troll who specialises in blogs. A portmanteau of “blog” and troll.
Blaudience: The audience, or readership, of a blog.
Blog hopping : to follow links from one blog entry to another, with related side-trips to various articles, sites, discussion forums, and more.
BlogRoach: A reader who infests the comment section of a weblog, disagreeing with everything posted in the most obnoxious manner possible.
Blogstorm : When a large amount of activity, information and opinion erupts around a particular subject or controversy in the blogosphere, it is sometimes called a blogstorm or blog swarm.
Blurker: One who reads many blogs but leaves no evidence of themselves such as comments behind; a silent observer of blogs.
DNQ/DNP : abrev. Do Not Quote/Do Not Print. May be used in online correspondence, to clarify that these words/comments should not be posted on the other person’s blog. (adapted by Gary Farber from common science fiction fandom usage)
Google Bomb: To intentionally insert words or phrases into as many blogs as possible to increase the ranking on the Google search engine. Held by some to be a form of ‘meme war’. (coined by Adam Mathes)
Gulog: A portmanteau of “gulag” and “blog”. Used when a blog is so dismal and depressing, it’s as if it were written in a Soviet labour camp.
GBCW: The “Good Bye Cruel World” diary is when a Kossack decides that Daily Kos has become too (fill in the blank) or isn’t nearly (fill in the blank) enough for him or her to continue visiting the site. General chaos ensues in the Comments as other Kossacks agree, disagree, and wish the diarist good luck or good riddance.
Flog: A portmanteau of “fake” and “blog”. A blog that’s ghostwritten by someone, such as in the marketing department.
Link Orgy: When a blogger finds that he has been linked by multiple sites, or has been added to several blogrolls,in a short time. (Coined by James Martin )
Link Whore: A blogger who shamelessly links to other weblogs in the hopes of getting a link back.
blogger (qv) who will go to any lengths to get other bloggers to link to them (the term is usually intended to be humourous). Also: Link slut. Both terms are in fact gender non-specific.
Momosphere: Term to encompass blogs written by mothers. A portmanteau of “mom” and “blogosphere”.
Splog : A term used to refer to a ’spam blog’, made popular in 2005 by Mark Cuban.
© This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License and uses material adapted in whole or in part from the Wikipedia article on blogging terms. GNU Free Documentation License. Copyright © 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
References: Blog glossary – Samizdata.net
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9 responses so far ↓
Wrote: Feb 13, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Wow! I must admit that most of those terms are new to me-and I have been blogging for almost two years! Thanks for enlightening me.
Wrote: Feb 13, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Sometimes Saintly Nick, some were news to me too. As I was reading them I thought to myself I know a Link Whore and I know some bloggers that were part of a link orgy.
I know a blog troll who keeps a blog about me and my own blog has had some Blogorrhea on it.
I would like to think that I have a Blaudience and that they enjoy even my Bloglets.
The McDonald’s Lincoln Fry blog was a flog and blogspot is full of splogs.
A popular candy name has been Google Bomb and I have a few Blurkers around here.
2000 bloggers created a Blogstorm and I think many of us have had to step on a few blog roaches from time to time.
I was talking about blog cliques not even knowing that blog snob was a real term though I have met a few blog snobs and I know a certain blogger who does a lot of blegging.
Wrote: Feb 13, 2007 at 10:38 pm
This is so cool! I like the term “bloglet.”
And… down to blog trolls!!!
Wrote: Feb 14, 2007 at 5:51 am
An excellent post — should be on Blogging 101 required reading list!
Have always loved the word ‘portmanteau’ — especially to hear it spoken —
Have you ever had a day of ‘Blennui’ — those days when no matter what blog you begin to read, it’s all just ‘Blarf’?
Wrote: Feb 14, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Thanks for improving my vocabulary. I like Blennui too.
Wrote: Feb 14, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Great job.
Some of the words were new to me.
Wrote: Feb 17, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Fun list. Now tell me is there a difference between internet and interweb?
Wrote: Feb 17, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Pearl from Winkipedia
“Interweb is a slang term referring to the Internet, sometimes more specifically referring to the World Wide Web. The spelling Intarweb is usually used with sarcasm or derision, chiding the “uneducated masses” who now frequent the Internet, threatening the once elite hacker culture that was prevalent in the early 1990s. It can also be used to make fun of said “elite hackers.”
” The Internet, or simply the Net, is the publicly available worldwide system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using a standardized Internet Protocol (IP) and many other protocols. It is made up of thousands of smaller commercial, academic, domestic and government networks. It carries various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat and the interlinked web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web.”
Wrote: Sep 24, 2007 at 4:35 pm
This was a fun read, some of them I knew, but many I didn’t.