what is a blog, anyway?

I've asked a few people what they think a blog is, and the answers seem to really range greatly.

Most people I've talked to consider a blog (a contraction of the term "web log") to be an online journal of sorts. Some people use blogs as a way to communicate with a mass of people, or just as a way to connect with family members and friends. Some people's writings are personal, locked - some people put their blogs out there for all the world to see. Some people see blogs as very self-serving - a pulpit for a person to rant and preach and spew their feelings /thoughts shamelessly.

I talked to someone this weekend that thought blogs were sort of self-indulgent - like, no offense, but who wants to read about your average, boring junk, really? Another mused that there wasn't enough time in the day to post, that it's laughable to think that what you have to say is interesting enough to even be put out there.

Blogher.com states that "36 million women a week participate in the blogosphere." Broken down, they say that 21 million women a week read blogs and another 15 million read and publish blogs on their own. BogHer also says that blogs are considered a good source of information, advice and recommendations.

I'm writing a blog, so clearly, I am one of those that enjoy blogs. Honestly, there are millions of blogs out there in cyber-space, about thousands of different things. Parenting, politics, music, travel, religion, news, jobs, television, books, cooking, sports, families... and so very much more. Personally, I follow blogs that I can relate to. I like blogs that are uplifting. Blogs written by people that are similar to me, and some that are very different - people that experience things I wish to experience, or that I admire or aspire to be like. When I log on to read the latest postings, I often feel like I am catching up with friends. I like that there are really no hard and fast "rules," that your blog can really be anything that you want it to be. I read somewhere that blogs are like your personal "memos to the world." I like that.

Keep those memos coming...