Fast-paced Growth of Blogs Boggles the Mind

Last month, when I off-handedly stated I would spotlight blogging as a main topic, I had no idea how fast they were moving into the mainstream. I vaguely knew of the man, Salam Pax and I hadn't even heard of a reporter named Kevin Sites.

Isn't it amazing what a war will do? Both of these fellows are bloggers. And both have risen to high-level stardom because of their Internet blog posts--or should I say the lack of their posting.

Blogs, or Web logs, are as old and the World Wide Web itself. The first Web log was actually the first Website, http://info.cern.ch/. It was created by legendary Tim Berner. The site was a place where Berner posted new Web pages as they came online.

After that, the Web cataloging efforts rolled from hand to hand, finally landing in the Netscape court. Those boys held the blogging torch from 1993 to 1996. Then came the Search Engines and their powerhouses of technology took over.

Blogging might have died at that point but instead, it took on a glorious life of its own. Today, it is as diverse as knowledge itself. Now that traditional media has finally taken notice of the blogosphere (their name, not mine), Web logs are big news.

"What the heck are these blog things?" you might ask. They are online diaries at the simplest. Think of them as chronological postings of thoughts, observations and reflections. Usually, they have a date, then a posting and links to other websites or blogs with similar or dissimilar themes.

Some blogs are created by experts in their fields. Awhile back, at InstaPundit.com and TalkingPointMemo.com a few in-the-trenches journalists noticed a comment made by Trent Lott. The big boys had over looked it until these folks raised their voices. The result was Lott's demise.

"Bloggers were like the picadors making way for the matadors," Michael Cornfield, research director for Institute of Politics, Democracy and the Internet, said of the Lott incident. "They keep the story alive."

The list of blogs is almost endless. There are blogs for geophysicists, copywriters, sky divers, blues guitarists, endocrinologists, girls in love, geeks, Mickey Mouse fans, bubble blowers, movie-script writers, highway construction workers, hydrologists, house husbands, photographers--you name it, there is a blog (or two or twelve) for it.

Big business, journalists, scientists and college profs routinely blog. It is a way of keeping communities of like-minds informed and interacting. Even the corporate-heads are jumping on the bandwagon with k-logs (knowledge blogs). These sites house company documents, employment information forms, safety sheets, comments and links--most of which is contributed by employees.

Salam Pax http://raed.blogspot.com (This site no longer displays any content.) has enthralled the world for many months. He says he is an Iraqi in Baghdad. Some believe him; others think him a hoax. Whatever the case, his postings are heartfelt, well written and candid. And if his claim is true, he is the only blogger in Baghdad. For the first time ever, the world can read, real-time, a common man's reaction to the war.

Even though his tone is decidedly anti-Saddam, he isn't crazy about the Allied Forces either. On March 16, he entered the following, "Nobody minded an undemocratic Iraq for a very long time, now people have decided to bomb us to democracy? Well, thank you! How thoughtful."

Salam Pax, without giving notice, quit posting on March 24. He has gone silent. Millions wonder if he is still alive, in exile or just plain scared and tired.

We don't have the same questions about Kevin Sites. He is a CNN war correspondent. Back in February, he was in Kuwait covering the war preparations. His e-mails home lead a couple of blog experts to encourage him to create an online blog.

To make a long story short, CNN told him to stop. Seems the head-office folks back home really wanted the editors to have a hand in the final presentation. Blogs don't allow for that.

Blogs cut out the autocrats. To some, that is flat-out exhilarating; to others, terrifying. Without any particular editorial guidelines or bureaucracy stance between the writer and reader, bloggers can provide information in a raw, exciting form.

To find out more about Web logs go to:

• EatonWeb.com --The original Web log directory.
• Blogger.com --Make your own blog the easy way. Blogger.com was recently acquired by Google
• Webblogs.com --Lists the most recently updated blogs.
• Daypop.com --Daypop lists over 14,600 of the best news sites and web logs. Check out the Word Bursts link on the top navigation bar.
• GlobeOfBlogs.com --Allows visitors to search for blogs by theme, topic or geographical location.