Datasheet

10
Part I: Getting Started with Blogs
Making Yourself Comfortable with Blogs
I talk to a lot of people about blogs, many of whom know that you can find a
blog on the World Wide Web, but who also have the impression that all blogs
are written by navel-gazing cranks with an axe to grind or by 12-year-old
girls. Some blogs really are diaries in which the blogger records the minutiae
of day-to-day life — but blogs can be much more than that, and all kinds of
people write them.
One of my favorite blogs falls into the personal diary category: Mimi Smarty
pants (http://mimismartypants.com). A woman living in Chicago writes
this blog, which records her thoughts and activities with such hilarious prose
that I often find myself laughing out loud.
For contrast, visit Mäni’s Bakery Blog Café (www.manisbakery.com/
blogcafe), shown in Figure 1-1, a blog that the staff of Mäni’s Bakery in Los
Angeles writes for the bakery’s customers. Mäni’s uses the blog to announce
menu changes and weekly specials, offer coupons, and talk about the bakery
products, such as vegan cake.
Figure 1-1:
The Mäni’s
Bakery
blog does
a great job
of keeping
customers
updated.
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