The Internet has evolved over the years into a place filled with dynamic, fresh content. Whether personal or for a business, most sites now incorporate a blog to meet this new standard. A blog, or web log, is like a journal that is open to the public. Individuals and businesses can use this as a way to give updates and share news, as well as a forum for exchanging ideas with others.
The concept of blogging was born along with the Internet in the form of site directories and link collections. In 1992, Tim Berners-Lee started the first directory of new websites at CERN. 1993 saw the launch of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications’ “What’s New” site list. About six months later, Links from the Underground was started by Justin Hall, who then began keeping a public online journal in 1996. Free personal blogging tools began to appear in 1998, though the term “weblog” was first coined in 1995 and brought into popular use in 1997.
Early weblogs were no more than public diaries where people shared their thoughts, feelings, and daily activities. Open Diary, a journal site launched in 1998, was popular among teenagers, as they could openly post and comment on each other’s entries. The more dynamic LiveJournal appeared in 1999, further fueling the online journal trend.
Since then, blogs have evolved into a web-wide phenomenon. While the online journal still exists as teens and young adults continue to publicly share their personal dramas, the blog has become a more serious concept. Businesses and individuals now use blogging as a way to share important information. Opinion pieces on everything from technology to politics appear in personal weblogs daily. Even newspapers use this tool to bring fresh content and new stories to their readers before the next print edition hits newsstands.
The most useful aspect of a blog is that it’s an easy way to maintain a dynamic website. Instead of having to update a specific page of the site, re-write copy, or work up a new design, site owners can launch a weblog instead. Each new post draws attention, keeping search engines interested. This gives businesses a simple way to draw new customers, and brings new readers to individual opinion sites.
Sources:
http://www.blockstar.com/blog/blog_timeline.html
http://www.blogherald.com/2005/03/06/a-short-history-of-blogging/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_blogging
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