Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 'Blog'?

Blog is short for 'weblog'.  It's basically a website that's frequently updated.  The newest blog entry, or post, is usually displayed first, and older posts are usually archived in one or more ways (by age, category, author, etc.).  Even after a post is archived, it's always accessible through its 'permalink' (a link to the post's permanent location).  Blogs are usually informal publications.  Many blogs allow readers to make 'comments', which are also displayed with the post.  A blog can be used for many purposes: a personal diary, a professional publication, a knowledge base, etc.

How and why would I make 'Comments'?

After each post you will find a 'Comments' link.  You may click the link to read the Comments that have already been made to that post, or you may scroll to the end and submit your own Comments on the form.  You must provide your email address to make a Comment.  Your name and email address will not be sold or used for any unauthorized purposes.  You may make a Comment to agree or disagree with a post, to ask a question, or just to add your own experience and knowledge on the subject.

What is a 'Permalink'?

A Permalink is a permanent link.  In other words, this is the address where the article or post will always be found even after it is removed from the blog's front page and archived.  If you wanted to send a friend the address of an interesting post you found, you would send them the address to the 'permalink'.

What is a 'Trackback'?

A trackback is a link to a related (or referenced) article that is located on a different blog.  It's kind of like an external Comment to let BlogArizona.com visitors know that another blog also has a post that is closely related to a BlogArizona.com post - it could even be about the BlogArizona.com post.

What does 'Syndicate this site', 'RSS' and 'XML' mean?

A link that says 'Syndicate this site', 'RSS' or 'XML' means that the latest blog entries on that site are available through a newsfeed reader or aggregator program.  In other words, you can subscribe to the website's feed.  This allows you to have the latest headlines from all your favorite blogs delivered to one place (a newsfeed reader program such as Bloglines).  This way, you can stay up-to-date with all your favorite sites without having to visit each one of them.  Some sites offer only excerpts of the latest entries to newsfeed readers, while others make the entire post available.  Most people that use newsfeed readers prefer that the entire post be made available.