Maybe you clicked on the link from my home page that said "Blog". Perhaps you wondered what on Earth that meant?
What is a blog?
"Blog" is a neologism and a contraction of "weblog". So what's a weblog then? According to the Weblog glossary (The Guardian Dec 18 2003):
The definition of a weblog is, perhaps surpisingly, a controversial subject. We prefer the definition supplied by Bausch, Haughey and Hourihan in We Blog (Wiley, 2002): "At their core, weblogs are pages consisting of several posts or distinct chunks of information per page, usually arranged in reverse chronology from the most recent post at the top of the page to the oldest post at the bottom." Beyond that, there are lots of additional features, which may or may not be present: links, comments, a calendar, news, comment, a single author, multiple authors, whole communities, amateurs, professionals, and so on.
The glossary is worth a look for the other blogging-related terms it includes. See also the whatis.com definitions: [blog] [weblog]
OK. Why are they useful?
Think about it. Pre-Internet, access to information was limited. If you wanted to find out about something you where dependent on someone having published it via a book in a library, a documentary on TV, writing for a special-interest magazine, etc. A lot of people who aren't authors or media personalities know a great deal about a great many things—but their knowledge just wasn't widely available (unless they happened to live next door). The Internet—and the popularity of blogging in particular—means much of this information is now captured, sharable, and searchable. A classic example of how this wealth of online information and experience, and the willingness to share it, can be of benefit to people is the case of tech support. How often have you looked through a product manual, scoured the manufacturer's FAQs on the web, called the Support phone number and been put on hold for 30 minutes, dealt with someone on the Customer Enquires Desk who hasn't the faintest what you're on about? All too often you get nowhere. It is heartening when I remember the number of times I've solved a tech problem through the self-publishing actions of numerous individuals worldwide. Blogs and Google make for a powerful combination.
Tip: Get the most out of Google: Delivering the goods (The Guardian Jan 8 2004)
What do blogs talk about?
Blogs can cover any range of subjects. Some are focussed, others more general ramblings on life's happenings. Some are more useful than others. Some are outstanding resources both educational and entertaining. Others are just, well, weird. Here are some examples of tech and travel blogs that I think are very good at what they do:
Slashdot: "News for nerds. Stuff that matters."
Gizmodo: "Dedicated to everything related to gadgets."
macosxhints: Tips and trips for getting the best out of Mac OS X
The Register: "Biting the hand that feeds IT"
Vagabonding: "One man, one year, one world."
Ed's Gone South: "Travels in South America"
So what are "moblogs" then?
Mobile web logs. People with cameraphones taking pictures of this and that, and sharing them with the world on the web. They may chronicle anything, for good or evil.
Read more on moblogs: A day in the life (The Guardian Jan 8 2004)
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