A blog is basically similar to any other web site, but there are a few different terms and concepts it is useful to understand.

Comments
The comment feature of this blog allows you (as a visitor to the blog) to post your thoughts, questions and suggestions on the same page as the original post. For example, say you’re reading a post on a particular topic and think of a relevant web site that’s not mentioned, you can just post a comment with a link to the site and explain why you find it useful.

Comments are what turn a blog from a one-way broadcast into a multi-way conversation, they increase the value and usefulness of the blog for everyone.

Permalinks
A permalink is a web link (URL) that points straight to a specific post on the blog. Each post has its own permalink and they’re useful for bookmarking and referencing specific posts.

For example, say you want to email a colleague a link to a post, if you send them the link to the front page of the blog they will have to search for the post you wanted them to see and it may even have scrolled off the front page by the time they check. By using a permalink you make sure that the link points to exactly the piece of information you want.

Categories
Each post to the blog belongs to one or more categories. If you’re interested in a particular topic of posts on the blog, you can view posts only from that category.

RSS
Read the What is RSS post for details on what RSS is and how you can use it.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Trackbacks, or Pingbacks, are methods of tracking and displaying what other people on other blogs are saying about your blog entries.

Trackbacks are just part of the ‘blog as conversation’ concept, drawing in what other people on the web are saying about your blog entries and making them part of the conversation.