The Evolution of Web Blogs and JournalsAs of May 2007, the popular tag-tracking software called Technorati was following more than 71 million blogs (according to Wikipedia's entry on blogging). It seems like the vast majority of young people and many thirty-somethings, forty-somethings, and even older people are maintaining weblogs these days. But when did online journals become such a tremendous part of pop culture? Who is writing and editing all these blogs? And most importantly, what does the future hold for blog authors and readers? Realistically speaking, weblogs have evolved from paper diaries, early bulletin boards, Usenet newsgroups, and other forums for discussion and communication. Online diaries, which can be traced back to 1994, represent the earliest attempts at blogging. 1994 is the year that Swarthmore College student Justin Hall began his online diary, which he continued to maintain for 11 years. Other notable early bloggers are Jerry Pournelle, game programmer John Carmack, and Brad Fitzpatrick, creator of today's popular LiveJournal blogging community. Early weblogs were manually maintained, with the authors editing the main pages of their websites to add new content, then republishing the sites with each addition. This made blogging the exclusive realm of the technologically savvy. However, browser-based software that allows users to publish their entries in reverse chronological order without the need to know HTML coding has opened up the blog world to a new set of individuals. Some of the most common blogging services are Blogger, Word Press, and LiveJournal, but there are many, many more out there. The term "weblog" was coined in 1997 and quickly following by the most commonly used term, "blog" in 1999. Today, blogging is thought of as part of a large and growing trend which has recently been labeled "social networking." Modern blogs provide writers with the opportunity to express themselves, showcase their specialized knowledge or art, and reach a global community of likeminded individuals. In recent years, blogging has also become a way for people to generate income. Bloggers now place Google Ads and other advertisements on their sites, earning a small sum when their readers click on the ads and purchase items from the advertiser. Other bloggers earn money directly from advertisers, in exchange for adding text ads or banner ads like those from Adbrite. Still others maintain blogs and have found newer companies that specialize in blog advertising, where agencies seek out and find advertisers who are looking to reach out to the blogging communitys. Though few are making a sizeable income from blogging, many are able to collect modest amounts in return for their blogging and readership growing efforts. As of right now, one would speculate that the future of blogging will include more advanced technology, an even greater number of blogs joining the fray, and still more new and inventive advertising opportunities for businesses. One thing is certain: blogs are here to stay. |
Favorite Blogs Motherhood Deleted Fragments of Self Booju Newju Blogging Links Blogger Livejournal Vox Word Press Xanga Writing Up Blog Income Links Ad Sense Ad Words Ad Brite Blog Ads Blog Explosion |