People around the world and from all walks of life are blogging. It's one word that young, old, rich, poor, and almost anyone somewhere in the middle has in common. So what is it?



Originally, weblogs, which is a term that has been shortened to 'blog', were essentially online journals that were kept in a log type format. These journals generally contained the most recent entry at the top and worked backwards from the newest to the oldest. They were originally personal pages only and not intended for commercial use. Over time that has changed but their origins were not monetarily driven.

Blogging was largely unheard of until 1999 when the media began paying attention to this new phenomenon. Incidentally, Blogger, a popular blogging platform, was also released in 1999 and was an almost instant success. Part of the immediate and massive success of Blogger is the fact that this program is not only easy to use but also allows users to interact with other Blogger bloggers through comments. It in essence created an even more tightly knit community of bloggers.

Weblogs have evolved in time from the original purpose or function, which was to point to other articles on the Internet. Many of the original web loggers are more than a little bit peeved by the new world order of bloggers.

The new blog is essentially an online journal or diary rather than something that points to information available online from other sources. It is no longer a community of people sharing information and has morphed into a community of teen angst and waterfront property sales sites. Many pioneers in this particular field feel that these changes aren't for the better.

Even today you can still find many blogs that are sticking to the original ideals. They point to information in other places and lead others on a merry chase around the Internet in search of knowledge and clarity. They site their sources and do not copy the works of others, they are purists and they offer a great service to those seeking information and enlightenment. There is nothing wrong with the original way of blogging; in fact it feels a void that is obvious in the rampant amount of misinformation being shared on the Internet.

Despite the value of these blogs, the fact remains that the newer generation of blogging doesn't appear to be going anywhere and as such it seems that the title of a blogger is going to be shared not only by those who offer informative services but also those sharing teen angst and the heartbreaks of divorce or even how much high heels really do hurt on prom night.

Regardless of whether you are interested in blogging as a sort of journal, a sales page, a moneymaking opportunity, or simply to share information and the process of freethinking with other like-minded people, there is a blog for that.