I get this question all the time. Finally, Rex Hammock explains the difference between a personal website and a weblog.
I think a personal website is a static presence on the Internet that can be comprised of many components, a weblog being one of those components. (Or, you can make your blog the only component if you want.)
A blog is merely an online journal that can be updated as often as someone wants to update it. It’s called a web “log” because the geeks who first started doing them were trekies. (Okay. That’s merely a theory, but it’s one that amuses me.)
A blog can be private so that just a few people see what you post — say, a family blog or a hobby blog, or a sunday school class blog
It can be private so that a few people working on a project can see it
It can be public and be done for fun
It can be public and serve as a means for someone to market their expertise
It can be public and allow someone to have the opportunity to be heard free from editorial control or approval by da man.
It can be public and be owned by da man.
Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.
He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.
