Blogging is a growing fashion trend; an accessory one must have to impress those without one.
Weblogs reach out beyond national borders to the international community. A well crafted blog educates, entertains and inspires. More and more businesses are entering the blogsphere to tout their wares on a more personal level. There's even a weblog that tracks the most popular blogs at Creative Weblogging, should you want to know what they are.
Average people - read "those not blogging - see blogs as online diaries; yet another arena for the populace to vent their spleen in a public forum. Sure, some are like that, but there is a whole new world exploding in cyberspace should you take the time to look.
Every manner of topic is explored, debated, commented upon. Teenagers chat about... teenage things, militarists talk about actions, present and past, writers explore their own world, there are political blogs, crafting blogs, porno blogs, puzzle blogs, publishing blogs, environmental blogs, space blogs, architectural blogs, numismatist blogs, medical blogs... and so on.
If you want to know something, it's out there; and not just informational web pages. People involved in the industry are blogging, about personal experiences in that industry.
Better yet are the teenagers who've taken to blogging. It's not just the angst-ridden years of hormonal upheaval. What has snuck in is an alternative to the piss-poor spelling and grammar of text messaging on the mobile phone. Finally, teenagers have their own forum to discuss what's bothering them rather than the quick:
WTF? NOYB, YKWYCD! or CUL8R,DV8 or PTMM?EG. Translation? See Webopedia which has a list. It's astonishing that a whole conversation can be had by nonsensical words. Of course, this has, apparently, led to a downturn in spelling and grammar levels. No small wonder.
With weblogs, free and easy to use, kids are now being more careful about language skills; their problems remain the same, but they have a much bigger audience to complain and bitch to; better yet, there's a large pool of people who can help them through the problems simply by posting a comment. Parents need not be aware of their children's woes (good, bad or indifferent your attitude may be to kids hiding stuff from their parents, it happens), but they can get help; or celebrate with similar bloggers - and they could be half a world away.
As a communications tool, it's like the new media in advertising: viral-ads. Everyone has one or more links to other blogs, who have one or more links to other blogs.
In this information age, a rumour, a joke, an ad, an issue, can swing around the world in seconds. There is no faster way to have a casual conversation with a stranger about shared concerns, hobbies or news.
Anyone with internet access can explore the world - and write about it.
It truly is a global village, and it's getting smaller...
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