ESL Podcast 515 - Starting a Blog
blog - a special kind of website or a part of a website that has a lot of information about a particular topic, with the newest information appearing on the top, and that gives other people the opportunity to write their opinion about what they have read
Since we like to eat out, we read a blog that reviews restaurants in our town.
blogger - a person who regularly writes new information for a blog, usually once a day or a few times a week; the owner of a blog
The most popular bloggers are knowledgeable, informative, and entertaining when they write about their favorite topics.
to take the leap - to begin to do something, especially if it is new and unfamiliar
Did you hear that Drake has finally decided to take the leap and open his own business?
template - a model for creating other documents on a computer so that they all have a similar appearance, organization, and layout
Where can I find some good templates for fax coversheets?
to customize - to change something so that it meets one's needs and is slightly different than anyone else's
When we bought the car, we customized it by painting it bright orange and installing really big stereo speakers.
flavor - a particular taste, style, or characteristic
Her novels have an interesting regional flavor that reflects her childhood in the Deep South.
to launch - to begin something for the first time, especially an important project or adventure
They launched the organization in 1984 and were pleasantly surprised by its rapid growth.
post - one entry in a blog; a small section of text that is added to a blog all at once for other people to read and comment on
Did you read the last post about nuclear energy?
to update - to add the most recent information, making something current and/or complete
Please update the sales report with these revised figures.
to catch on - to become popular and well-known or used by many people
Once cell phones became less expensive, they caught on very quickly.
blogosphere - the group of all blogs on the Internet
The blogosphere keeps growing every day as more and more people start their own blogs.
self-promotion - efforts to draw attention to oneself or one's work, trying to get other people's interest and admiration
When you apply for a job, your cover letter is an opportunity for self-promotion, so use it to tell the company why you'd be a great employee.
search engine - a website and computer program that helps you find other websites or specific types of information
Google, Yahoo, and AltaVista are some of the most popular search engines.
to swap links - to exchange URLs; for website A to agree to show the link to website B when website B agrees to show the link to website A
Nashwa has a travel website, and he's trying to swap links with websites for airlines and hotels.
hit - the moment when someone lands on (visits) a website
Hessea's website gets about 3,000 hits each day.
to take (something) to heart - to listen carefully to what someone says, believe it, and seriously consider doing it
When his music teacher told him that he should be a professional singer, he took it to heart.
comment - a message written by someone who has read a blog post and wants to add his or her opinion or additional information
The Washington Post has some interesting blogs, but the comments are much more interesting, because people have very strong opinions and like to argue with each other online.