Many bloggers out there are writing over thousand entries every hour, with no idea of the concept of what a blog is all about. So, what is a blog actually all about? Is it necessary to know what a blog is all about to make it a good blog?
Well, actually, you have to break it down into smaller parts, since a blog could be everything, from a little online book of everyday thoughts to a high end political corner. It's all about the content, and how the users' point of view interprets it. It is not about the fancy flashing ads, the absence of semantics or a good writer that makes a perfect blog.
With the new era of information crossing over sites and large communities like Flickr or YouTube, the whole concept of content is rewritten in its own context. And when I say "new era" I mean the "web 2.0 hype" that I mentioned in one of my earlier articles.
So, can you make a blog with bad scripting, horrific design and with usability close to nada? Yes. If you make a blog, with no regards to the actual content of it, you are not even thinking of the basics of the Internet, and that is to share information. But when you are skimping the semantics you are narrowing the many possible viewers that access your site. I can use the same analogy for the syntax and semantics; if you make a blog with no regards to the syntax and how the information is presented, you are still not thinking of the basics of the Internet.
Wait a tic, am I biting my own tail here? I am a supporter of good semantics, so the idea of suppressing scripting quality for the sake of the content is not something I like, but more and more often the content is winning ground over semantics. To make a general example, take a look at the major newspaper sites and check for validation, see my point?
If you can combine good semantics and good content you have a perfect blog, at least, that's what I think about it.