In the earlier days of the Internet, the distinction between a blog post and an article was clearer. Blogs mainly had these elements setting it apart from article contents:
- It was conversational with a free-flowing thought.
- It reflected the opinion of the writer, and thus had a personal tone.
- It also provided a space for readers to post their opinion in the comments section.
- It was self-published.
- It was usually shorter than 600 words, following the idea from a research a decade ago that said online readers mostly read just 28 percent of a post.
- It was published exclusively for the World Wide Web.
Articles, on the other hand, had the following elements:
- No comment section.
- More professional in tone and language; they read like a news report, an academic report, or a press release.
- Factual details, sometimes requiring a citation or a quote from sources, thus it needed to undergo an editorial process.
- 2,000 words minimum based on an analysis that the top 10 ranking sites on Google commonly had these much words.
- A printed form equivalent.