Blogging: It's For Everyone

Recently, Merriam-Webster announced that, based on "online lookups," the number one word of the year was "blogs" (Morse, Page 1). Their definition of a blog is "a web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer" (Morse, Page1). This definition is inaccurate based on my research, as blogs are not always "personal" and can include more than one author. Throughout my research, many bloggers in the blogoshere have referred to websites as blogs that discuss business only, business and personal details, and more than mere "reflections" of a personal nature. As blogs become more popular and affect different forms of communication with a higher degree of magnitude, I am confident that the definition of blogs will morph closer to my definition of blogs (short for weblog, a web site that contains an online journal including, but not limited to, reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer(s)) than the Merriam-Webster definition. This paper will discuss blogs (what they are), bloggers (who they are), blogging (should you do it and is it profitable), and the impact of blogs on media. I will start by talking about how blogs started, and who some bloggers are. Next, I will discuss the amount of revenue that can be made, and how that revenue is made, from starting a blog. Finally, I will show the impact blogs have had on the mainstream media, specifically, the most recent Presidential Election.

The culture of the internet has created a subculture of bloggers that, as evidenced by the number of persons looking to find a definition of the word (however inaccurate the definition may be), is growing in popularity and is therefore a prescient topic for persons to be informed about. Blogging started, albeit without a proper name and with an even more vague definition, as soon as the internet was invented. Just as writing a journal started with the first writers thousands of years ago, blogs arose at the same time as the medium of the internet was born. This created some new challenges to the conventional writer. According to The Handbook of Digital Publishing, the greatest strength of publishing online material is "displaying the interrelated nature of information connected with hyperlinks" (Kleper, Page 197). The use of hyperlinks is extensive in blogs, confirming Kleper's thesis. The value of hyperlinks are determined by the author of the blog and how they choose to use their hyperlinks. Mostly, I have found hyperlinks used as a reference to, and compliment of, the idea the blogger is trying to impress upon the reader. For instance, if I'm writing a blog about Winston Churchill, I can create a hyperlink to an encyclopedia entry online describing Mr. Churchill, which will let the reader of my blog know who I am talking about and give an impression of what context I reference Mr. Churchill. I don't have to provide a biography of Mr. Churchill in the blog, and waste the time of those who know of him already, but others that don't know of Mr. Churchill (should learn!) can click on the link and more fully understand what I am writing about. This is a valuable tool for the writer if used correctly.

Writing with hyperlinks is different from traditional serial prose writing, but not excessively different. The main difference between traditional writing and writing for a blog is that a blog is a cumulative piece of writing that needs to be continuously updated and revised (Kleper, Page 194). Once you write an article in print, that article is done. Blogs need to be written and added to over and over, especially considering "the prospect of finding timely information with each site visit is among the strongest incentives for repeat visits" (Kleper, Page 194) Keep in mind however, that although repeated revision and an eye-catching web page are preferred over bland pages, observations suggest that after the first visit, the usefulness of the site is what ultimately motivates the user to return (Kleper, Page 196). You can have a blog about paint drying, update it very often and work hard describing the process in great detail, but it is unlikely to become widely read.

Some popular bloggers today include Hugh Hewitt (www.hughhewitt.com), Josh Michael Marshal (www.talkingpointsmemo.com), and Glenn Reynolds (www.instapundit.com). Although I've chosen political bloggers to comment on here, be advised that blogging can be done by anyone with internet access about any topic. In fact, there is even a blog dedicated solely to shaving, www.shavingstuff.com (Brewer, Page 1). The rise of in the number of blogs is a testimonial to how many different topics are covered. In January of 2002, there were about 100,000 websites dedicated solely to blogging (Gard, Page 1). Today, there are over 6 million blogs (Gard, Page 1). The vast majority of bloggers are under 30, and most bloggers are under 19 (McGann, Page 1). These demographics indicate that blogging is on the rise, and many wonder if it can be a legitimate source of income. Like most things, the answer to that depends on several factors. Time, talent, and the level of effort put into the blog most likely will determine the success the writer achieves, measured in how many readers and consequently how much income is possible.

Blogging is a sole-proprietorship classification of business in an industry that follows the characteristics of monopolistic competition, namely easy entry into the industry (few barriers) and unique content among competitors (Case and Fair, Page 281). Starting a blog takes little more than an internet connection, computer, and a small monthly fee. Because anyone can create a blog, there are many blogs around. This means the content of each blog must be unique and interesting in order to succeed commercially. Bloggers can earn income three different ways, and, considering that the "monetization of the internet will increase 30% over the next years," it might be profitable to learn how bloggers earn revenue (Meeker, Page 1).

First, bloggers can find advertisers to provide different companies that promote their products or services on the blog page (Rowse, Page 1) This is typical on many websites that exist today. Banner ads, ads before being transferred

to the desired page (precommercials), and pop-up ads are all forms of advertising. As a sole-proprietor, the major difficulty you face is finding advertisers that want to promote their products on your site. This is where a company like Blogads comes in handy. Blogads will look at the quality of your site and number of visitors and then find companies to advertise their product on your website for you (Rowse, Page 1). The more