A column is a regular feature in a publication, usually with a heading and byline, that reports or comments on a field of interest (i.e., politics.) A blog is a website – or section of a site - containing a writer's experiences, observations, opinions.1 Are they different? While the content or topics may be similar, a blog (a term coined in the late 90s) is dynamic, editable/updateable by the author and usually allows the reader to make real-time comments and provide timely feedback.
In 2007, Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn penned a blog entitled "Blogging vs. Column Writing"2. He clearly said column writing wins because columns have more "readers and therefore more impact and more money" yet he challenged his own statement saying that if and when it changes (as it has for many prominent bloggers) and blogging provides more readers, impact and money, then it wins in a rout.
More recently, journalist Steve Buttry blogged on the difference between a columnist and a blogger3. His most telling statement: "One of the biggest disappointments of my career was not getting a columnist job when I was in Omaha. I wanted it desperately and thought it would have been a great fit both ways. In retrospect, I'm glad and relieved that didn't work out. It might have pigeonholed me, where my blog helped boost my career and elevate my profile in a way that an Omaha column never could have."
So I ask, do you blog? If Eric Zorn's 2007 observation is correct, it looks like in 2014 blogging might be winning.
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