A blog is an online journal usually a single page that you can post practically anything that you want. The simplicity of blogs is what makes it attractive to the new person coming online and has no html experience and no website. Blogging makes it possible for an individual to go live on the web within minutes of setting up his or her blog.

There are numerous blogging websites to choose from on the net. This gives first time users the option of joining a blogging community that appeals to their interests.

Experts predict that blogs will eventually take the place of conventional websites because of their simplicity and virtually no maintenance.

Features like audio and video blogging make for added appeal as well as the ability to add mp3's sometimes referred to as Blog Radio.

In its basic form a blog contains these features:

* title- pretty self explanatory-this is what your post is about.

* body- this is whatever it is you want to say.

* trackback- whenever another blog or website puts the url of your blog on their site, this is called a trackback.

* permanent link- every post you write has a URL.

* comments- this allow readers to respond to your blog post.

Another advantage of blogging, is that there are only a few templates to choose from. This eliminates the complexities of numerous individual pages. Making it easier for blog users to create new pages, as it already has fixed settings that include: slots for title, body of the post, category, etc.

This is especially useful for first time users, since they can start blogging right away. They can choose from a number of templates that blogging websites provide.

Anyone who wants to start a blog can do so by becoming a member of a blogging website of their choice. Once they've become members, they automatically become a part of that particular blogging community. They can browse through other bloggers pages, and link them back to their own blogs. They can also make comments on other members' blogs.

Blogging has evolved into more than for personal use. There are theme based blogs that follow social topics, sports, politics, philosophy, the list goes on. Blogging becomes a tool that people can share what they know and what they think about a variety of themes and topics. Blogging is popular all over the world. There are no rules when it comes to blogging. Bloggers have the freedom to express themselves how ever way they want, and the best thing about blogging, is that most blogging sites are free.

Just search any blogging directory and you'd get a listing of a lot of blogging sites that are available on the net. It's easy to search a blogging directory, because it is organized according to category. This way you would get exactly what you are after. Blogging is really for everyone. It is fun, simple and easy.

Blogs have become an advertising medium. Where entrepreneurs advertise a variety of goods and services, fast becoming an effective form of advertising. Getting traffic to your blog can be a lot easier than getting traffic to a conventional website. A lot of entrepreneurs benefit from blogging by promoting their businesses on their blogs, with millions and millions of people logging onto the net everyday, blogging has become a lucrative move. Some bloggers who run online businesses promote their merchandise online. While others profit through advertisement.

Since all posts are archived, educators use blogs to document lessons. This gives students, who may have missed a lesson or two, the ability to access those lessons and easily catch up with their assignments.

But by far, the most popular blog type is the one that takes the form of a personal journal. This is the kind that is usually used by first time bloggers. Individuals who want to document the daily struggle of their everyday lives, poems, rants, opinions, find that blogging offers them a medium in which to express themselves.

Bloggers usually communicate within themselves. This is one of the appeals of blogging. It creates a community of people sharing their ideas, thoughts, and comments with each other.

Blogs varying in topics, themes, and set-ups, can be found in blog directories. First time users who want to get an idea of what the blogging world is all about can browse through a number of blogs using these directories. This way they'd get an idea of what these blogging communities are like.