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In the midst of the great information technology boom of the mid-to-late 1990s, a new concept in sharing information over the nascent internet began to emerge. Dubbed a weblog by computer expert Jorn Barger in December 1997, the idea was to create a medium through which writers, editors, technology experts, and ordinary people could write a sort of public diary of their lives and their interests.

In the Spring of 1999, Peter Merholz shortened the word "weblog" and coined the resulting phrase "blog." Both a verb (to blog) and a noun (a blog), this word has truly changed the way we gather and share information over the internet. Furthermore, it laid the foundation for what we now refer to as Social Web 2.0.

Launched in October 1998, Open Diary.com was the very first blog to allow readers to post comments on blog entries. This was followed by LiveJournal.com in early 1999 and Blogger.com in the Fall of that same year. Soon the questions, "Do you have a blog" and "Who's blogging about what" became standard lexicon in the international community.

The Impact of Blogs
The impact that blogs have had on society has been phenomenal. Not only has it provided millions of internet users a place where they can voice their opinions and tell others about their interests, but it has also proven a formidable political, social, and economic force that even many politicians have underestimated. During the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, political blogs such as Politico.com, Truthout.org, and Huffingtonpost.com had a tremendous impact on public opinion.

Blogs have also had a very positive effect on the democratic process as more bloggers have engaged in what is commonly referred to as participatory journalism. This idea that ordinary people can shape the face of how they get their news by broadcasting their own opinions on political and global issues has given the traditional mainstream news media a run for its money. Indeed, blogs have created a vast online community where the "power of the people" has become a force to be reckoned with.

One very interesting consequence of blogging has been in employment. Some employers today are performing web searches for job candidates. If the candidate is posting questionable material in his or her blog, it could mean the person will be passed over for the job. Furthermore, others have been dismissed from their job for posting blogs that showed poor taste, profane material, or a conflict of interest. This is why, though it may be tempting and even therapeutic, the blogger should show extreme caution in painting workplace, relationship, family, and other issues in a negative light. What's out there is out there forever, and it can be quite easily tracked.

Discovering the Blogosphere
The world of blogs, otherwise referred to as the blogosphere, is as vast as the Wild West. Blog topics abound from politics to technology to music, entertainment, sports, and more.

To discover a blog related to your area of interest, you can simply type your interest plus the word "blog" into your favorite search engine (e.g., green building blog). Or, visit one of the popular blog search engines including Technorati.com and Bloglines.com. Mybloglog.com is also a great site where you can search for blogs and create a social network based around your public blog favorites.

Anatomy of a Blog: Learning Your Way Around
When you point your web browser to a blog website, it may appear as a normal website with lots of links to articles and opinion pieces. Take for example the technology blog called Engadget.com. At first glance, it appears to be a typical web page; but scroll down the page and you'll see various blog entries on a variety of technology-related topics. Deadspin.com, a popular sports blog, is similar as well and features numerous sports news and opinion blog entries.

If you want to search for a particular blog topic, you can either follow blog topic links placed on the left or right of your display, or you can key in a search phrase in the search field at the top of the screen. For example, the Sustainable Gardening Blog with Susan Harris (www.sustainablegardeningblog. com) features a search field just underneath the top right photo. If you type the word "tomato," it displays all blog postings related to tomatoes. However, you can also click a link under Categories such as "food" to take you to all blog postings related to food. Other blog websites have links to breaking news and featured stories.

The most alluring feature of the blog is the ability for readers to add their comments. This is why you see the word "comments" underneath the article or in some cases next to the link to the blog entry. In any case, click the link to the blog entry to display the blog entry in its entirety. At the bottom of the page, you will see an area where you can add your blog comments.

The commenting functionality of blogs is highly interactive. You can leave a general comment on the blog entry, or you can reply to the comments of another blogger. You can also subscribe to comments on any particular blog via RSS so that you can read what other people have to say about the blog. And in today's growing Social Web 2.0 environment, you can share the blog with others through numerous social bookmarking, news rating, and sharing sites.

Following a Blog Writer
If you enjoy blogs written by a particular author, simply click on that author's name to link you to their bio page and/or a listing of blogs by the author. In many cases, you can also subscribe to e-mail updates and/or RSS feeds whenever the author writes a new blog entry.

Blog Etiquette
Otherwise known as "netiquette," there are certain unwritten rules bloggers must keep in mind when surfing the blogosphere:

1) Don't post comments unrelated to the topic.
2) Don't become a troll who comes into the forum simply to stir up trouble then quickly run away.
3) Don't be overemotional and say rude things.
4) Always be rational and professional.
5) Reserve curse words and lewd talk.
6) Don't be a jerk while hiding behind your anonymous username just because you can.

Starting Your Own Blog
It's easy to start your own blog. Free blog services such as LiveJournal.com, WordPress.com and Blogger.com offer easily configurable blogs rich in functionality. Social networking sites such as MySpace.com and Twitter.com offer blogging as well. The latter social networking site, Twitter, is actually a micro-blogging website where you type in a quick 140-character or less blog update. In this sense, Twitter is more of a status update site than a full-blown blog; perfect for quickie blogs but not appropriate for subjects such as product reviews and how-to blogs.

The key to a good blog is a specific topic and expertise in your field. For example, you're an information technology manager at a telecom company and you're starting a blog on Wi-Fi wireless internet technology. If you're just the average Mary or Joe starting a blog on various topics, you probably won't get much of a following unless your writing style is particularly alluring or you have lots of friends out there who can help spread the word about your blog. But a professional-looking blog template, good writing, registration in a blog search engine such as Technorati, and an interesting (specific) topic will get your blog noticed.

To make your blog even more interesting, you can embed images, videos, and podcasts into your blog postings. For video, it's called vlogging. Your video can be of yourself talking about the subject or something otherwise helpful to the reader.

Blogging is a fun, interesting way to learn more about the world around you and to interact with other bloggers sharing common interests. Give it a try today, and you'll wonder how you got your news without it.

Learn more about this author, Daniel J. Gansle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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