A blog (a contraction of the term “web log”)[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (Art blog), photographs (photoblog), videos (Video blogging), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.

Examples of social media software applications include:

Communication
Blogs: Blogger, LiveJournal, Open Diary, TypePad, WordPress, Vox, ExpressionEngine, Xanga
Micro-blogging / Presence applications: fmylife, Jaiku, Plurk, Twitter, Tumblr, Posterous, Yammer
Social networking: Bebo, BigTent, Elgg, Facebook, Geni.com, GovLoop, Hi5, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning, Orkut, Skyrock,
Social network aggregation: NutshellMail, FriendFeed
Events: Upcoming, Eventful, Meetup.com
Collaboration
Wikis: Wikipedia, PBwiki, wetpaint
Social bookmarking (or social tagging)[5]: Delicious, StumbleUpon, Google Reader, CiteULike
Social news: Digg, Mixx, Reddit, NowPublic
Opinion sites: epinions, Yelp
Multimedia
Photo sharing: Flickr, Zooomr, Photobucket, SmugMug, Picasa
Video sharing: YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo, sevenload
Livecasting: Ustream.tv, Justin.tv, Stickam, Skype
Audio and Music Sharing: imeem, The Hype Machine, Last.fm, ccMixter, ShareTheMusic
Reviews and Opinions
Product Reviews: epinions.com, MouthShut.com
Business Reviews: Customer Lobby, yelp.com
Community Q&A: Yahoo! Answers, WikiAnswers, Askville, Google Answers
Entertainment
Media & Entertainment Platforms: Cisco Eos
Virtual worlds: Second Life, The Sims Online, Forterra
Game sharing: Miniclip, Kongregate
Other
Information aggregators: Netvibes, Twine (website)
Social media monitoring: BuzzMetrics, Infegy, Sprial16, Sysomos Heartbeat
Social media analytics: Sysomos MAP

podcast is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and downloaded through web syndication.

The mode of delivery differentiates podcasts from other ways of accessing media files over the Internet, such as simple download or streamed webcasts: a centrally-maintained web feed on the distributor’s server lists all files associated with a given series, and special client software applications known as podcatchers (e.g., iTunes, Zune, Juice, and Winamp) are used that can automatically identify and download new files in the series when they are released, by checking the feed for updates. New files are thus downloaded automatically and stored locally on the user’s computer or other device ready for offline use, giving simpler access to episodic content.[1][2] Commonly used audio file formats are Ogg Vorbis and MP3.

Researchers at the Center for Journalism and Communication Research at the University of Texas at Austin in the USA are proposing a four-part definition of a podcast: A podcast is a digital audio or video file that is episodic; downloadable; programme-driven, mainly with a host and/or theme; and convenient, usually via an automated feed with computer software

RSS (most commonly expanded as “Really Simple Syndication”) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.[2] An RSS document (which is called a “feed”, “web feed”,[3] or “channel”) includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an “RSS reader”, “feed reader”, or “aggregator”, which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feed’s URI or by clicking an RSS icon in a web browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user’s subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.

• Increase your internet marketing presence
• Generate leads
• Advertise your product and/or service
• Build your brand

My team and I will build and design your template/theme and then you can immediately start adding your messages. How?

Our team will:

• Set up the SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Establish your auto-responder
• Link your social media integration
• Construct the main pages (about us, testimonials, services, etc.)

What next?

To get started, you must supply us with three things:

• Your domain name
• Your site hosting
• Your auto-responder

Our recommendations for service providers (and the ones we use) are listed to the right under “RESOURCES.”  If you are just getting started – then we HIGHLY recommend getting your domain AND hosting through HOST MONSTER, as they are very cost effective, and you get UNLIMITED DOMAINS. They integrate very well with Wordpress and have excellent customer service – and they are FAST!

Our team builds all custom Wordpress blogs in a program called “Artisteer“.  And because we want to provide excellent customer service, we are limited to the number of clients we can accept.

We look forward to working with you!

Kytka “Kit” Hilmar-Jezek

and the Entire Team at A Custom Wordpress Blog