From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A blog (short for web log) is a website where entries are written in chronological order and displayed in reverse chronological order.

Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.

The term "blog" is a portmanteau of the words web and log (Web log). "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

In May 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 71 million blogs.

History

Chronicles, commonplaces, diaries, perzines and amateur press associations can all be seen as predecessors of blogs.

Before blogging became popular, digital communities took many forms, including Usenet, commercial online services such as GEnie, BiX and the early CompuServe, e-mail lists^[2] and bulletin board systems (BBS). In the 1990s, Internet forum software, such as WebEx, created running conversations with "threads". Threads are topical connections between messages on a metaphorical "corkboard". Some have likened blogging to the mass-observation movement of the mid-20th century.