Beau Yancey
03/26/09
DTC 375
Dr. Farman
Word Count: 779

Dear diary…you’re no longer needed

The diary has always been a universal record of our daily accomplishments in life. Our thoughts, feelings, and dreams have been recorded in these manuscripts of sacred literature and have been hidden away in our bedrooms under lock and key. At least that was the case until the early nineteen nineties. In just fifteen years since the first weblog was produced, blogging has taken the sacred writings of our diaries and turned them into the greatest form of personal publicity the world has ever known.

“A blog… is a contraction sans apostrophe of the words 'Web' and 'log.' The word refers to an electronic diary (some prefer to call it a journal) that one may keep, situated on the Internet for the perusal of interested parties. Just like a book or article, it's there, regardless of whether or not anyone cares to read it. Blogging (the act of creating, maintaining, and updating a Web log) is, in effect, self-publishing; and, because you usually have to pay somebody for it.” (Savage, William W., pg. 2)

Originally created for journalists who wanted to break free from the hassles and costs of publication, the weblog became a source of independence and freedom for writers everywhere to publish their writings for the world to see. Through the overwhelming success of blogging came other media based forms of self production. Video blogging, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other websites erupted into a frenzy of self promotion. The opportunity to create your own work and to publish it on a global scale had never been so simple.

The modern day blog has evolved into something much more than a publishing tool for journalists. It has become the diary of the twentieth century. Instead of writing personal records of our inner thoughts, blogging has taken the diary and developed into a daily record of our lives for the world to see.

A typical blogger logs in daily, or every couple of days, and publishes an account of their lives and activities for the week. This is beneficial for several reasons. The most important aspect to this web based diary is that your activities can be seen by family and friends throughout the world. Instead of calling home every Sunday, or every other weekend, a family member can check a specific blog and be up to date on everything of importance in their loved ones life. Bloggers can also place videos and pictures of loved ones on their weblogs, an important addition for grandparents and other family members who are unable to attend important events.

The interactivity of blogs is also important. As well as being a diary, it also doubles as a chat room. Instead of writing letters, mailing them, and waiting for a response, the blogs are instantly published which bypasses the need for any postal communication saving time and money.

Until now I have primarily focused on the benefits of blogging as it pertains to family and friends. However, through the interactivity of blogging, other people who come upon your weblog have the freedom to post comments, pictures, leave their email addresses and other functions.

This feature leads us to the ideology of Marshall Mcluhan’s “global village” which allows people to make friends throughout the world via the internet. In a recent article by Terry Teachout, he states “When the history of blogging is written a half-century from now, its chroniclers may yet record that the highest achievement of the Internet, a seemingly impersonal piece of postmodern technology, turned out to be its unprecedented ability to bring creatures of flesh and blood closer together.” (Teachout, Terry)

No other invention on the planet has the ability to touch the lives of total strangers as blogging does. Some blogging sites today actually take care of the technical aspects of your blogging page for you. There is no need to even create your own web page. Simply type in your name, pick out your background theme, and begin. With the simple click of a button, our lives are published and shared with anyone who wishes to take time out of their lives and involve themselves into yours. The only possible flaw with blogging is the limitation to each particular blogs length. However, in today’s society, everything needs to be done quickly and without much effort. The shorter the blog, the more interested we are in reading it.

Whether you’re interested in publishing articles, writing columns, or just letting your loved ones know about your day, web logging is the answer. Although some might say that blogging focuses on the trivial aspects of life, there is nothing wrong with participating in the human race.

Work Cited

Savage, William W., Jr. "The Transom: You Can't Spill Mustard on a Blog." Journal of Scholarly Publishing 38.1 (Oct. 2006): 47-51. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. [Washington State University], [Richland], [WA]. 1 Apr. 2009

Teachout, Terry. "Culture in the Age of Blogging." Commentary 119.6 (June 2005): 39-48. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO [Washington State University], [Richland], [WA]. 2 Apr. 2009