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The Difference between an Essay and a Blog

It’s probably not news to anyone that the essay they’ve worked so hard to write is not likely to go viral on the internet. In fact, an essay may never appear on the internet at all, even if it’s a very good essay. That’s because the purpose and audience of an essay is very different than a blog, and of course, the platform for each is different, too.

Purpose

Essay vs. Blog

The purpose of an essay is to inform. An essay writer gathers information about a particular subject, forms an analysis and a conclusion about it, and puts it together in a structured way so that they can share their knowledge and thoughts on the subject with others.

A blog is meant to entertain, although some of them can be informative. There are no rules or guidelines for how a blog should be structured. Blogs of all kinds, on all sorts of topics, and written in all kinds of different structures and tones can be found on the internet. Most blogs are informal, and many are very personal. Blogs can also be updated and edited at any time.

Audience

The audience for an essay is most often academic. A well-written and well-researched essay can be used as a legitimate and reliable source of information that analyzes one specific topic with a reasoned thesis statement and good supporting arguments.

The audience for a blog is online readers and may also include people looking for reliable information, but most often it includes people who want to be entertained and engaged while reading the writer’s personal thoughts on a topic. While plagiarism is always frowned upon, there are few rules for sourcing in a blog and some use no sourcing, or no reliable sources, for their information at all. While any good essay will make clear where the writer got their information, bloggers don’t always do this. It’s important to know how to be sure a blogger is using accurate information on which to base their opinion before assuming the information is true.

Where Does it Go?

Essays that are published are found in academic journals. Some essays are printed online so that others can access them and use them as a source for further study.

Blogs, on the other hand, are always and only published online.

For an essay, you’ll need to understand the rules and structure required. For a blog, you make the rules and structure. If you can dream it, you can blog it.