sfkdsts

Encyclopedia Britannica
Search Britannica
Search Britannica...
HomeGames & QuizzesHistory & SocietyScience & TechBiographiesAnimals & NatureGeography &
TravelArts & CultureMoneyVideos
blog
Table of Contents
Introduction
From geeks to mainstream
Dialogue
Political blogs
Media convergence and podcasting
References & Edit History
Quick Facts & Related Topics
Related Questions
Who controls the Internet?
þÿIs the Internet making us stupid ?
þÿIs cancel culture (or callout culture ) good for society?
Read Next
Internet http://www blue screen. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, media news television, crowd
opinion protest, In the News 2009, breaking news
Who Invented the Internet?
The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is grappled by the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic
arm. October 10, 2012.
þÿ6 Signs It s Already the Future
Woman using social media with her smartphone. Cell phone. Like icon Facebook
Pro and Con: Social Media
Computer mapping, woman at early 1990s computer
Timeline of the 1990s
Screen with https for internet security. (encryption, privacy, websites)
Inventions that Helped Shape How We Interact with Knowledge and Information
Discover
Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and
explodes at 9:03 a.m. on September 11, 2001 in New York City. The crash of two airliners hijacked by terrorists
loyal to al Qaeda leader Osama bin..
þÿAll 81 References in Fall Out Boy s We Didn t Start the Fire, Explained
David Cameron. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom talk
during the G8 Summit at the Lough Erne Resort in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, June 17, 2013
þÿWhat s the Difference Between a President and a Prime Minister?
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient
architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World
Close-up of ostriches (Struthio camelus) necks and heads; location unknown.
6 of the World's Most Dangerous Birds
Panoramic view at sunrise of moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
6 Lost Civilizations
Green cicada emerged from shell.
Why are cicadas so noisy?
Germans from East and West stand on the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in the November 10,
1989, photo, one day after the wall opened.
Timeline of the 1980s
Home
Literature
Nonfiction
blog
Internet

Also known as: Web log, Weblog

Written by
Fact-checked by
þÿLast Updated: Mar 29, 2024 " Article History
In full: Web log or Weblog
Key People: Ta-Nehisi Coates David Karp Frederik Pohl Biz Stone Evan Williams
Related Topics: Internet social media WordPress journal
Blog, online journal where an individual, group, or corporation presents a record of activities, thoughts, or
beliefs. Some blogs operate mainly as news filters, collecting various online sources and adding short
comments and Internet links. Other blogs concentrate on presenting original material. In addition, many blogs
þÿprovide a forum to allow visitors to leave comments and interact with the publisher. To blog is the act of
composing material for a blog. Materials are largely written, but pictures, audio, and videos are important
þÿelements of many blogs. The blogosphere is the online universe of blogs.

From geeks to mainstream

The World Wide Web and the idea of a blog appeared at the same time. Tim Berners-Lee, often described as the
þÿWeb s inventor, created the first blog in 1992 to outline and render visible the ongoing development of the
Web and the software necessary to navigate this new space. Web history, especially the early growth of Web
þÿservers and sites, is chronicled on the various What s New pages in the archives of the National Center for
Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Another example of a
blog that existed before the word was coined is Slashdot. Following its debut in September 1997, Slashdot
þÿoperated as a clearinghouse for information in its News for Nerds, with a small set of editors who decided
þÿwhat to publish of numerous articles and news items submitted by the geek community. Indeed, Web sites
þÿmentioned on Slashdot were often overwhelmed, leading to a condition now known as being slashdotted.

In December 1997, Jorn Barger, an early online presence, coined the term web log to describe his Web site
RobotWisdom.com. In early 1999 another individual with considerable online experience, Peter Merholz, began
to employ the term blog on his site Peterme.com. While the history of the term is pretty well settled, the same
cannot be said of the identity of the first blogger. Depending on the definition of a blog, Berners-Lee may not
qualify as the first blogger. Claimants to this title include Justin Hall, a college student who started an online
þÿlist at links.net in 1994; Carolyn Burke, who began publishing Carolyn s Diary online in 1995; and Dave
Winer, who has published Scripting News online since April 1, 1997.

The growth of the blogosphere has been nothing short of remarkable. Technorati, Inc., a Web site and
organization dedicated to mapping and searching the blogosphere, found that by October 2005 there were 19.6
million blogs, a number that has been doubling roughly every five months. Approximately 70,000 new blogs
þÿare created each day or, more vividly, nearly one every second. Also of importance is the growth of blogs in
languages other than English, especially Chinese.

Despite the overwhelming number of blogs, very few individuals make a living as a blogger. A few individuals
earn money from their Web sites by carrying ads and appeals for funds, and some blogs are financed by
corporate or organizational owners; nevertheless, most bloggers derive nonmonetary rewards from their
activity. In particular, blogs offer ordinary individuals the ultimate soapbox and an opportunity to create their
own digital identity or personal brand.

One reason for the proliferation of blogs is the ease with which they can be established and maintained. Many
services and software systems are available that allow an individual to set up a blog in less than an hour. Of
course, updating a blog is essential for maintaining its presence and importance. Statistics on blogs that are
started but not updated remain elusive, but the proportion is undoubtedly substantial.

Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content.

Subscribe Now
Like the fad for personal Web pages in the 1990s, the proliferation of blogs has led to the creation of Web sites
þÿthat group blogs, often with a similar political emphasis or subject orientation, to form superblogs. An
example of this phenomenon is The Huffington Post, founded in 2005 by American author and syndicated
newspaper columnist Arianna Huffington, which hosts dozens of other bloggers who post mostly on politics
and current affairs.

Dialogue
In addition to the frequency of updates, the thing that distinguishes most blogs from ordinary Web pages is the
inclusion of forums for readers to post comments to which the blogger might respond. The degree to which
dissenting views are tolerated depends on the publisher, but most Web sites must regularly prune
þÿ spam insertions of commercial and pornographic ads into the text of an apparent comment or the use of
insulting and defamatory language. Trackback, an Internet function, facilitates communication by allowing
þÿbloggers to monitor who is reading and discussing their site. In turn, bloggers often post a blogroll, or a list of
other blogs that they read and respect. Blogging is a conversational activity that seeks to create a community or
reflect an existing community.

For a corporation, blogs can be used to advertise corporate products and practices and for two-way
communication with consumers. For nonprofit entities such as charities, blogs allow officials to discuss their
goals and actions in pursuit of a common end.

A growing phenomenon involves people who start blogs, often anonymously, to disparage someone or
þÿsomething that they dare not attack openly such as their company, boss, school, or teacher or to tilt at some
þÿorganization that done em wrong. In several instances, individuals have lost their jobs when employers
discovered their blogs.

Political blogs
The U.S. presidential election of 2004 brought blogs to a newfound prominence as bloggers for both parties
þÿused the Internet as another arena of debate and conversation as well as fund-raising. Democratic presidential
primary candidate Howard Dean was the most prominent user of the Internet and the blogosphere. Dean used
þÿbloggers as unpaid advisers and cheerleaders to help build his base; in turn, bloggers rallied to Dean s campaign
against the Second Persian Gulf War.

Even before the election, bloggers played a central role in demoting Mississippi Senator Trent Lott from his
þÿleadership position in the U.S. Senate. The mainstream media initially paid little attention to Lott s comments
þÿpraising Strom Thurmond s 1948 Dixiecrat presidential campaign when the latter ran as an ardent
segregationist. Only after left-wing bloggers made it clear that Lott had a history of such comments did the
mainstream media begin a series of stories that eventually forced Lott to step down as Senate majority leader. In
Britain, bloggers forced Prime Minister Tony Blair to address the substance of the so-called Downing Street
þÿmemo, which purportedly showed that the Bush administration had deliberately juiced up military
intelligence to support war against Iraq. Criticism of the mainstream media has come not only from the left.
Dan Rather, a news anchor for CBS TV, was no doubt ushered into retirement in part because of right-wing
þÿbloggers criticism of his journalistic practices during the 2004 election a view summed up in the name of a
central site: RatherBiased.com.

Media convergence and podcasting

þÿDespite the overheated phrase every person a blogger, blogs are not likely to replace the mainstream media.
Instead, blogs will continue to complement existing news media by allowing anyone to set up a Web site
dedicated to his or her particular interest or perspective. Blogs now exist on a vast array of topics, from the
latest electronic gadgets to books and movies to sex and politics, and over time the most successful blogs may
be those that cater to a wide audience while not offending an even wider group. Or success may be redefined. If
þÿthe purported convergence of electronic technologies cable television, movies, and the Internet actually
takes place, blogs may become gatekeepers to the new digital frontier, making criticism and discussion an
essential element of search, the most basic Internet function. Hence, search engines such as Google and Yahoo
are working to make blogs part of their respective digital empires. Similarly, America Online, Inc., has bought
þÿcertain blogs to acquire both technological cachet and access to the blogs readership. Blogs may become the
þÿnew portals to the Web.

Nor is blogging the final frontier of individual expression online. Podcasting, the use of a personal computer to
þÿcreate a radio show that users can download and play on their computer or portable music player, became the
þÿ bleeding edge of personal performance in 2005. Podcasting derives its name from the nearly ubiquitous iPod,
þÿApple Inc. s portable music player. Apple s iTunes software has also played a crucial role in the spread of
þÿpodcasting, as users can access thousands of podcasts for free with a simple click of their computer s mouse.
þÿAnyone with a computer and a microphone can create an audio podcast, and the release of Apple s video iPod
in 2005 set the stage for video podcasting.

Michael Aaron Dennis

USENET
Table of Contents
Introduction
References & Edit History
Quick Facts & Related Topics
Related Questions
Who controls the Internet?
þÿIs the Internet making us stupid ?
þÿIs cancel culture (or callout culture ) good for society?
Read Next
Internet http://www blue screen. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, media news television, crowd
opinion protest, In the News 2009, breaking news
Who Invented the Internet?
Screen with https for internet security. (encryption, privacy, websites)
Inventions that Helped Shape How We Interact with Knowledge and Information
multiple exposures, depiction of deep web, internet
þÿWhat s the Difference Between the Deep Web and the Dark Web?
Binary Computer Code, Binary Code, Internet, Technology, Password, Data
How Does Wi-Fi Work?
Multi-ethnic group of people sitting on an urban bridge text messaging and sharing smart phone content.
Pro and Con: Is the Internet Making Us Stupid?
Discover
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the only eagle solely native to North America. (North American bird)
Endangered Species Day
Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and
explodes at 9:03 a.m. on September 11, 2001 in New York City. The crash of two airliners hijacked by terrorists
loyal to al Qaeda leader Osama bin..
þÿAll 81 References in Fall Out Boy s We Didn t Start the Fire, Explained
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment,
history and society
þÿ12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written
Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin,
and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest
emergence of cicadas anywhere
Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?
Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver,
BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics
10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
Zoomed in photo of a pile of sugar cubes in a wooden stop on a wooden table.
þÿWhat s the Difference Between Sugar in Fruit and Sugar in Sweets and Candy?
Black widow spider
þÿ9 of the World s Deadliest Spiders
Home
Technology
The Web & Communication
USENET
Internet discussion network

þÿAlso known as: User s Network

Written and fact-checked by
Article History
þÿIn full: User s Network
Related Topics: Internet social network social media computer network newsgroup
USENET, an Internet-based network of discussion groups.

USENET began in 1979 when two graduate students at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, Tom
Truscott and Jim Ellis, came up with a way to exchange messages and files between computers using
UNIX-to-UNIX copy protocol (UUCP). Steve Bellovin, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina
(UNC) at Chapel Hill, wrote the software that controlled this first version of USENET. USENET officially
began in 1980 in North Carolina with three networked computers, located at UNC, Duke, and Duke Medical
School. Many improvements were developed over the years, including the creation of the more efficient
network news transfer protocol (NNTP).

social networking
More From Britannica
social network: From USENET to 21st-century social networks
Over time, USENET grew to include thousands of discussion groups (called newsgroups), stored on special
Internet servers, and millions of users. Users read and write posts, called articles, using software called a
þÿnewsreader. (At the height of USENET s popularity, Web browsers and e-mail software typically contained a
built-in newsreader, eliminating the need for a separate program.) Each newsgroup covers a specific topic, and
most new newsgroups have to go through an approval process. Alternative newsgroups, however, can be
created by anyone and can cover nearly any subject. Newsgroups can be either moderated (every article is
pre-approved) or unmoderated.

Unmoderated and alternative newsgroups have led to controversy. The lack of oversight and the anonymity of
USENET attracted people who posted pornography and other indecent material. In addition, USENET has
facilitated the illegal sharing of copyrighted material, such as software, music, and movies. This has led to
anti-piracy measures enacted by governments and private companies. Despite the adoption of peer-to-peer
(P2P) software, pirates sometimes prefer the anonymous nature of USENET. In the 21st century much online
discussion migrated from USENET to social media, but USENET persisted as an alternative to BitTorrent sites
for the sharing of large files containing software, video, or audio. The American search engine company Google
has added more than 20 years of USENET archives to its service Google Groups.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.