One of the latest high-tech fads has become so popular that a new word has been coined to describe it. The word is “blog”. Short for Web log, blogging is writing a personal journal that is publicly accessible on the Web. A good blog is updated daily or at least several times a week. A blog can be written manually and posted to the Web, but it is very common to use an online blogging tool like pMachine or Moveable Type. AOL is expected to offer its own blogging software later this year.
Blogging is a new kind of journalism. One in which there are no editors or publishers to please and where the personality of the writer can shine through without editing. Blogging is a unique technology that gives everyone the ability to publish their own editorial content without having to be a professional journalist. Blogging is a real time, comfortable, conversational type of medium. It is popular because it is inexpensive and easy. With a simple blogging software tool, no technical skills are required. Blogging provides a unique flow of information that is unhindered by media owners and editors. Typically, blogs contain hyperlinks to other Web sites and stories adding to their value.
I find that the best blogs are those where the author is passionate about his subject matter. One example is a travel blog called Vagabonding.com by Mike Pugh, an optimistic traveler from Chicago. His blog chronicles his solo round-the-world journey. Last time I visited his blog Mike had been on the road for 379 days and was in Durban, South Africa.
Web logs can offer unparallel information on focused topics. One example is a blog called Visalaw which focuses on immigration law. Another is the Guido Corona blog. Guido is a blind IBM researcher. His blog highlights the latest happenings about computers and accessibility for the blind and disabled. No matter what your interest, you can find a blog relating to that subject.
Although blogging started years ago, it has recently become extremely popular. There are currently over two million blogs on the Internet. There are tech blogs, sex blogs, mommy blogs, teen blogs, political blogs, and many more. Blogging has also become popular with many celebrities. Look for blogs by William Shatner, Will Weaton, Barbara Streisand, William Gibson, and Dave Barry. Some politicians are using Web logs to augment their campaigns. Howard Dean's blog is just one such example.
Blogging is such an interesting phenomenon that MIT Media Laboratory has created a Web site called Blogdex that tracks the diffusion of information through the Web log community. Since ideas are often contagious, Blogdex tries to trace the popularity of these ideas. The Blogdex system collects data from all the Web logs in its database and generates a list of the fastest spreading ideas. Although Blogdex is a little difficult to decipher, it is an interesting idea that was spawned by the blogging community.
Be sure to visit a few blogs. Don't miss my own blog at Sandy Berger Blog. Try those listed here or go to any search engine and type in the work “blog”. You will find that each blog has a different look and feel, so you will want to visit a good sampling to get an idea of how this new information medium works.
If you are the type of person who writes letters to the editor in your local newspaper, check out the idea of blogging. It may be for you!
