Brian Clark over at Copyblogger recently wrote a post titled, "What's a blog?" He says there are many "experts" who have blogging rules such as "blog posts should never be over 350 words," and other rules that really don't make any sense. His take on post length is that it depends-- it depends on who the audience is, why you're writing, what you want to accomplish, etc. He sums it up by saying, "You’re either writing something compelling that resonates with readers, or you’re not."
What are my thoughts about "what is a blog?" I consider them testing-grounds for new ideas, so they can be spontaneous and unfinished at times. I think blogs don't necessarily have to be formal or well-thought out. Mainly I think blogs are thought-outlets which should promote conversation and interest among your readers.
This holds true whether you're blogging about sports, real estate or money. If your blog isn't interesting, it's not going to attract readers, and without readers, there can be no conversation. I'll be the first to confess that I don't always have the most thought-provoking posts that promote conversation, but I think that should be the goal.
Ultimately, blogs should be authentic. This means being open and honest and transparent about the purpose of the blog. A company shouldn't pay someone to pretend to be a brand advocate and blog about it, and try to play it off as an authentic blog. A CEO should not have an intern write a blog for him and pretend that it's his.
So those are my rambling thoughts right now about "What is a blog?" What do you think?