Blogging is a big, complicated phenomenon. I can't hope to cover all of it here, but this lesson will give you a good idea of the fundamentals.
History
Blogging's been around for well over a decade now. The first popular blog that I know of was a simple webpage where a man chronicled the weird behavior of the person living directly above him. It was the most basic of webpages; he'd just add a new paragraph or two to it every day, along with the day's date.
This wasn't even called a "blog," just an online diary. "Blog" is short for "weblog," which in its earliest days was literally a log of the web. A weblog keeps an ever-growing list of links to interesting things on the web. Many weblogs developed a particular focus due to the interests of the author; I remember a great one that posted archeological and historical links.
Then blogging caught on. People started fusing these two activities--linking to interesting stuff and online journalling--by posting comments on interesting things online. This is the real power of blogging.
Why Blog? What Is It?
Blogging can be many things, but its central power comes in the ability to spread an idea and add to it. A blogger's commentary (ideally) adds to the value of the subject. After half a dozen smart people have blogged on the same topic, its value has increased significantly.
And literally anyone can do it. Well, anyone with web access, at least.
If you've never read a blog before, just Google any topic that interests you, and add the word "blog" to the end of your search (such as "knitting blog"). You'll get links to dozens, even hundreds, of blogs. Start reading through them, find ones you like, and bookmark them.
While you're reading a blog, look around on the blog's page. Many blogs include a list of links to other blogs that the author likes (this is called a "blogroll"). This is a great way to find good, new blogs (and to get a feel for an author's tastes).
A Few Examples
Here are a few examples of blogs that I like:
- Gaping Void chronicles one man's art and marketing ventures (no, really)
- Lileks' Bleats are daily ruminations on the everyday life of a writer, blogger, and father
- Seth's Blog is about new ways of marketing and advertising things
Tired of checking dozens of webpages each day, and looking for an easier way? Want to start your own blog? There are separate lessons just for those topics.