You know those weird, nagging questionnaires that bloggers answer, post and pass around? The thing has a name.

“Meme”.

A brief consultation with my best friend, Wikipedia, reveals that a meme (pronounced “mim”), “consists of any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that gets transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.”

Though it doesn’t exactly define meme as an “annoying viral questionnaire or quiz”, there are some points in this definition that suit the blog meme. First of all, the blog meme is transmitted from one blogger to another, with no cultural or geographical boundaries whatsoever. Second, it is repetitive, as each blogger continues the cycle by passing the blog meme to other bloggers, through a process known as “tagging”.

Blog memes (or “blemes” for short) come in a variety of forms. It can appear as the usual questionnaire that bloggers answer and repost, or as links to short online quizzes that purportedly reveal the test-taker’s personality or state of mind. Blemes can also be viral videos, games or even images. Sort of like the ancient chain letter, minus the shock-and-schlock effect.

Memes, blemes — what exactly are they here for?

Though you might not realize it, a good meme or bleme can be quite useful to bloggers. When done correctly, the simple bleme can be a means to promote your site or just increase your backlinks.

Consider the meme I posted yesterday. That was the first meme I ever posted on this website, and there’s a reason why I took time to participate. Yesterday’s meme was a sort-of promotional campaign for the Pexlinks Triple Love Project (hence the “define love” question), which gives its members a platform to mutually increase backlinks, RSS readers and Technorati fans. It’s a sort of “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” project, which is great.

Now see how the meme works. First of all, there is an embedded link that points toward the project’s website. Second, it gives participants an opportunity to increase their own backlinks, since you get to add your name and URL in the lower portion of the meme. We all win.

What about the usual blog memes that don’t let you list your name and URL at the bottom of the repost list? Here’s how it works. A blogger completes the meme, tags his friends. His friends answer the meme, repost it and mention who tagged them. Nice and easy backlink, baby.

Anyway, just keep in mind that blog memes don’t have to be stupid little useless questionnaires or quizzes. If you do get tagged, take time to see whether the topic fits your own blog’s niche. Is it interesting enough to answer and repost? Go ahead.

One other thing I love about memes is that they make good blog fillers. There are days when my head just feels numb and I have nothing to write. Memes can be God’s gift to bloggers on days like that. Just make sure you don’t take it too far and fill your content with nothing but memes. Use it wisely.

You can always create your own meme, too, as long as you can make it interesting enough to go halfway around the world.

XOXO,