The blog phenomenonBefore the Internet really became popular, the most that the general public could do to convey their opinions and their personal lives and experiences to other members of the public was through the mass media.
Technically, that hasn't changed. But in reality, ever since the Internet became mass media, the power of the common man has changed a lot.
The advent of the weblog, or in common terminology, blog, has changed the world. Because of blogs, and the public discussion forums that come with it, now any Tom, Dick, and Harry (and Priscilla as well, for you sexists) can publish their experiences and opinions for the whole world to see. You can even get others to chat with you indirectly about your life through the comments, forums, and tagboards that come with these blogs.
More importantly, blogs are becoming a force to contend with the mass media. Many top-rated blogs get attention from people all over the world, including important personalities and people with power, as well as people from the mainstream media as well. These blogs publish news as they get them, as well as (not necessarily objective) analysis from the authors who write them. Many people over the world, in fact, use blogs as their primary news source, instead of well-known media such as television or newspapers.
Blogs are also a way for like-minded people to organize themselves - whether it be people who enjoy a common hobby, like sea sports, or people who have certain inclinations and tendencies. These blogs are a way for people to share ideas, commiserate with each other, and more importantly, form community bonds. The most pertinent and powerful examples of these are in politics. Leftist and Rightist blogs often have communities of thousands of people, and these communities often organize events like live (online or through webcams) discussions on current political events, online petitions, or even mass demonstrations against certain bills or laws they abhor. This so much so that today, the authors and owners of the top political blogs are considered important political forces with a certain amount of power and prestige.
Through blogs, the common man can have a say.
Group blogs
Although you might feel narcissistic (sp) enough to love reading your own writing over and over again on the net, it is often great when you come to check your blog and find that other people have been writing stuff... so you don't have to keep updating over and over again for your faithful readers. =)
Not that this blog has much faithful readers though.
Hmm. If I sound weird or I don't sound cogent or coherent, its probably due to 41 hours straight without sleep.
