Blogging Across America

I came across this article in a small newspaper that comes to the house. Because I'm hooked on blogging, I found this to be a fun read. Maybe you too will find it amusing!


Personal Web Logs Catch the Nation by Storm
By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

It's news. It's opinion. And it's someone's personal diary, open for the world to see.

"Blogs" -- or personal web pages full of opinion, news, and links to other unique web-sites--are catching the nation by storm.

Once a rarity, because of the difficulty of creating web pages, advances in software technology have made personal Internet publishing easy. And readers are checking them out to get the inside scoop on news. politics, business secrets, or just to be entertained.

"The beauty of blogs is that they give every person a voice," John Makowski, director of news media for Erickson Retirement communities, says. "Before, the average person was less likely to have their own website. Now, anyone with access to the Internet can share their thoughts, opinions, and takes on the world."

A SIMPLE BEGINNING

Blog--the word gained popularity in the early 1990'2 when many say it evolved from the term for an online diary, or "Web Log." No one knows exactly who coined the phrase, but now the word and every one of its forms are heard in everyday conversation.

Early bloggers began by posting their thoughts or observations about the day. Blogging gained popularity and punch when independent journalist Matt Drudge began breaking news on his own, not answering to an editor or publisher but being surprisingly accurate.

By 2000, blogs were catching on everywhere. In 2004, accusations of both liberal and conservative political media bias and a heated presidential election pushed individuals to publish their own takes on the news. More blogs began to pop up all over the Internet.

Today, blogging is not just limited to news or politics. Amateur reporters, political candidates, and everyone in between are getting in on the act. Brad Hill, author of the book, Blogging for Dummies, estimates that 70 million unique blogs exist already and that 16% of Americans read them on a daily basis.

And there are blogs that cater to every interest.

A GROWING PHENOMENON

Joe Fino, computer expert and columnist for The Erickson Tribune, says, "Today, there are blog websites packed with links, ideas, and users making arguments that used to belong solely to established news outlets. If a topic exists, there is probably a blog out there to cover it."

WHERE IS IS GOING?

Today, websites that give instant feedback and make instant exchange possible are among the most visited on the Web. Websites like http://www.myspace.com/ have made blogging easy, accessible, and mainstream. Even corporations are starting their own blogs. It's not uncommon to be able to read the thoughts of a CEO or president of a company.

"People can express what's on their minds and companies can get instant feedback on their products," Makowski explains. "What better way to figure out if a business is worth investing in than by reading the thoughts of the CEO? People can really see what a company stands for, straight from the horse's mouth."

TO EACH, HIS OWN

And the phenomenon is still evolving. Popular sites like http://www.blogger.com/ and http://www.livejournal.com/ are making blogs easy and accessible to everyone.

"Blogs come to life with the temperament of their writers and reach us in a way that newspapers and magazines do not," Fino says. "Blogs can be personal journals kept online, or they can be free form journals about any topic imaginable."