Blog or Article? Three Ways to Know the Difference

The similarities between a blog and an article are enough that the two are often confused. However, there are many distinct and important differences between blogs and articles. Distributing a blog as an article, or vise versa, is a mistake which can cause confusion in a reader and as a result harm a company’s image to that reader. As such, knowing the difference between the two is essential for determining how to approach a given marketing piece. This article outlines three key differences between articles and blogs: an article is formal, impersonal, and closed while a blog is informal, personal, and open.

Presentation: Formal vs. Informal

While a blog and an article may relate many of the same facts, an article will do so with much more formality than a blog. This does not mean that a blog is not held accountable on things such as grammar and spelling. Rather, it has to do with the overall tone. Since an article is meant to educate the reader, it will present things in a formal, straightforward way. A blog, on the other hand, is meant to discuss a topic. This goal lends itself to a more conversational style than articles.

Another key difference in this regard is that of personality. Since the expectation of an article is to inform, the writer’s voice tends to be more restrained so as to not draw attention away from the information being presented. An article presents the information in a clean, spare way with minimal fluff. A blog, on the other hand, is written primarily to present the personality of the writer, often through the presentation of an opinion.

Distance: Impersonal vs. Personal

Think about the last blog that you read. Chances are good that you remember there being a lot of character to the blog (if it was good). Pictures are commonplace in a blog, often with captions which reveal more about the mind of the writer than explain the context of the picture. Also common to blogs is a writing style which seeks to connect directly with a reader by providing insight into the writer’s personal life. One would not expect to find anecdotes in an article, but in the blogosphere they are practically a stylistic convention for writing effectively.

The reason for this simply comes down to the goal of a blog. A blog is not meant to inform like an article. Rather, the primary goal of a blog is to connect with the reader in some way. The personal touch in blogs enables the writer to do exactly that. In contrast, the primary goal of an article is to educate, and so the personal touches of a blog would be considered distracting.

Discussion: Closed vs. Open

This one is fairly simple. We have already established that in a blog, analysis is low on the writer’s list of priorities. The blogger is more interested in connecting, and one great way to establish a relationship with a reader is to focus on creating discussion. A blog lives, dies, and adjusts based on the volume and the content of the comments it receives. Good blogs are geared towards prompting readers to say something in the comments section which contributes to the discussion that the blogger initiated. If a blog lacks comments, a blogger will make adjustments to their next blog to try and better facilitate discussion in the comments section.

The article, however, does not put as much emphasis on generating discussion. Rather, an article is often the end result of a discussion or research in some way. While the reader may often choose to comment on an article if they would like, an article’s primary interest is not to generate discussion, but rather to present information in an understandable form. This is what is meant when we say that articles are “closed” with regard to discussion. An article prompts people to think about and employ the facts contained within it. If any discussion occurs surrounding an article, it is usually a discussion about the article, not the topic it covers. Conversely, a blog is “open” because it is designed specifically to prompt discussion about the topic it covers.

At RevBuilders, we craft expert articles and enticing blogs that reach out to people in appropriate fashion. Whether you want a formal article or a more relaxed blog, we have writers able to take your ideas and make them stand out from the crowd. For writing that will drive readers to your site, call us today.