# Blocks

### What is a block?

Blocks are the individual pieces of content on Are.na. 

<figure><img src="https://3477914774-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FYHdbQfmTtGrkgTWzb7VG%2Fuploads%2FqQNfBnKpV5eams5HEAm6%2FScreenshot%202024-01-22%20at%203.55.36%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=103d88a1-e319-4667-8624-fb912b51266a" alt=""><figcaption><p>A view of blocks in a grid</p></figcaption></figure>

**A block can be:**

* a file (like an image, a PDF, a text file, etc)
* a URL (link to a webpage, a YouTube video, a SoundCloud link, etc)
* a piece of raw text

### Why are blocks special?

When a block is saved to Are.na, we try to extract as much metadata as we can from it.&#x20;

For example:

* If the block is an image, we will save the original source, extract any text, get the dimensions, etc.
* For webpages and links, we extract the text of the page, take a screenshot, etc.

Blocks can also be connected to an infinite number of channels, which means that a public block on Are.na accumulates context over time (see [connections](https://help.are.na/docs/getting-started/connections "mention")).

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