What is a blog?

A Blog (short for weblog) was originally envisioned as a type of web site designed to act as an online journal. Naturally, the web allows easy and frequent updating of a journal and people can easily share their thoughts with the entire Internet community (if they so desire). Blogs are very easy to update at any time as you can even use a cell phone to create and post your blog entries while you're on the run!

Blogs take on many forms today, but most stay with the same basic journal format. Blogs can be informational in nature such as Gizmodo, a blog which reviews up and coming new gadgets. Many blogs are news and opinion blogs such as the Huffington Post written by Arianna Huffington who is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of ten books. Small Biz Rocks is a web site developed by a professor for business majors who want to learn about small business. Or a blog can simply be the random thoughts of an individual.

The Blogosphere (as the world of blogging is known) has had a significant impact on conventional media as bloggers have broken major news stories before established media outlets. The proliferation of political blogs published by presidential candidates and political parties help get news and opinions out and create buzz for candidates, especially among young voters.