I'm new here, quick question

[Chance]

Hi everyone,
This looks like the place to be at.
Been at other forums before that seemed to die out soon due to lack of participation. Looks like this one's around a while.

Anyway, Chance is actually my grandson's name.
I thought I'd use it here as it's my chance to work my way out of a JOB, eventually.

Question:
What exactly is the difference between a blog and an eZine or any other such medium of information exchange on the net?
There must be some differeneces, I'm not sure what they are.

Thanks

[lisa]

Hi Chance and welcome!

An ezine comes from the phrases "electronic magazine" so it's an online newsletter you send out through a program of your choice.

A blog is a compilation of content that is published by category and/or by date. The two most popular blog platforms are WordPress and Blogger. Both are free to setup.

[Chance]

Hi Lisa,
That was a quick reply - Thanks.
I've watch some of your video presentations and really like how you communicate with your audience, very down to earth and informative without going over ones' head!

I was actually looking for something a bit more definitive on this subject as I was someone aware of the general differences that you described but am confused as to how webmasters use them differently.

It seems to me that the two (maybe more) types of formats are similar, content-wise.
How do they differ as far as a tool to reach other people online?
How are they similar?
Are they used for different purposes?
Is one format better than the other?
Perhaps this thread is addressed in one of the other catagories that I haven't noticed yet that you could steer me toward.
Thank you for your insights.

[lisa]

Oops! Sorry about that.

This is a topic that is debated a lot online. Do you need a blog AND a website? Why choose on over the other? Is there a difference?

First of all, you can make a ton of money using either method. There are tons of people out here with a website and no blog but are doing fine. There are others that only have a blog and no website and they are doing well too.

You just have to choose what works best for you and your situation. I personally like having a website because there is a bit more flexibility over the design. Don't get me wrong, blogs are flexible too but you have to understand a bit more about CSS if you want to customize parts of your blog template. Even though blog platforms provide templates, many people want to make additional edits to the layout.

With a website, you can use a web editor like Dreamweaver to manipulate your site without really needing to understand much about HTML or CSS. You can just use the software's menu to make changes.

So in my opinion, those are the big differences when it comes to design and maintenance.

But even though websites tend to be more flexible, blogs are much easier to setup. A blogger.com site can be setup in minutes and even if you choose WordPress, setting up a blog on your own domain is super simple if you use a web host that has cpanel.

Is there a right or wrong approach? I don't think so. I think you can be highly successful with either. You just have to decide what's best for you and your goals.

I have a website and a blog but didn't start the blog until my site was established. That just happened to be the path I took, but that doesn't mean it's the best or right way.

[Chance]

Thank you for your quick reply Lisa.
But I got to say...
Don't feel sorry for not understanding me.
Hmmmm, I'll try one more time because I guess I wasn't clear.

I never mentioned the word 'website'.
To me I understand a 'website' to be primarily to format for ecommerce - to sell something whether it's a using mini-site or a full blown sell everything under the sun site.

I specificly want to know the differences between an 'eZine' and a 'blog'.
1- An eZine as you mentioned is an online magazine -- and they serve a specific purpose or function
2- And a blog is something a bit different and it serves a specific purpose or function
I don't think these two formats are used in the same manner and are not the kind of cat, so to speak.

I know that you are a smart marketer, just listening to your videos shows me that. so I know you most likely know the differences and similarities of these two online tools (formats) that marketers use.

Just like a forum - this forum for instance - has a specific function and a purpose that is different from a 'blog' or an 'eZine' or a 'website'.
These are different forms of communication, yet there is still something different about them. The function they serve.

What I don't grasp is the difference between the two that I am asking about.
I'm not asking about design or maintenance or layout.
I'm asking about purpose and function.
Okay,
Why would you use a blog?
Why would you use an eZine?
There seems to be some functional difference and I'm not sure what they are.

I'm sure you know the difference. Thank you.

[Lajocar]

Blog is basically a "web log" - online diary - You will use this for writing articles, reviews or personal experiences etc. on a continual basis.

An Ezine is basically a place where you can get free content for your website. You will use ezine if you looking for quick articles that other authors wrote.

Now the next question is "What do you want to do? a) have a blog, b) ezine where people can post their articles or c) website

Hope this helped

[lisa]

I must be super slow today! LOL

OK, the purpose of a blog and an ezine is the same if you think about it. You want to use both to deliver good content and establish credibility through your useful information.

Here's an example. Allan Gardyne at www.associateprograms.com builds credibility through his free e-zine. He doesn't have a blog. But Darren Rowse from www.problogger.net uses a blog to do virtually the same thing.

Both Allan's ezine and Darren's blog provide useful content to their visitors on a consistent basis. It's just they chose different mediums... different ways to communicate with their audience.

Is there a right or wrong? No. It depends on what works best for your model and I think you discover that by trial and error. I like reading blogs versus ezines because with RSS (a method of subscribing to blogs), you can read and sift through the content when you're ready. Ezines are sent to your email box and often get blocked by junk mail filters and everyone is on email overload these days. Sometimes I've unsubscribed to ezines just because I have too much to read.

So a lot of Webmasters who used to rely on ezines are now using blogs to distribute their content because people are starting to prefer reading them over ezines.

Of course there are other reasons you'd use ezines (sending promotions to existing customers, etc.) but those are just some examples. And some people have both a blog and an ezine. Again it depends on you.

Am I getting even close to your questions yet?

[Chance]

Thank you thank you thank you...

Ah ha...
Lojocar - I never knew that ezines were for getting free content for one's own site, I liked the way you clarified that, very interesting.

Lisa - did you really take those SLOW pills today?
now I can see how they differ in function which helps to clarify their purpose as well; and to know that some eZine owners are switching to blogs because they can use the function of RSS feeds says volumes because of deliverability.

I was aware that they were both used for communicating what we all refer to as "content", I just wasn't sure how they differed -- now i can grasp a difference.
Are there any other significant differences in these two formats?
Hey, thanks for the insights.

[lisa]

Another reason I like using blogs (especially with feedburner) is that you can still use the ezine option for people who don't use RSS. And as far as I know there is no limit to the number of emails that can subscribe. So in a sense, I have an email list and blog subscribers even though I don't technicaly write an ezine.

[Lajocar]

Chance, i'm glad you like liked me and Lisa's responses

Feel free to ask any other questions