Blog•Insider

In the past few years blogging has undergone an explosive revolution from a journaling tool used by a few obscure individuals, to an essential communication portal. Media outlets, celebrities, pundits and political candidates alike use their blogs to funnel messages out to the world. Blogging has truly evolved into an online tool with many uses.

Originally a blog, or "weblog" as it was called, was a tool for keeping an online journal. Since a blog is an excellent way to foster communication, early on it was primarily a means to keep up with family members, document vacations and generally stay in touch on a casual basis. To this day, blogging remains a great way to keep up with family and friends.

Soon however, niche populations interested in fast, efficient methods of sharing information were adapting this technology for their own use. While the blogger population started to grow, their numbers didn't break out beyond the cult movie fan club and Star Trek set until late 2001 when political bloggers started to be taken seriously.

The estimated number of bloggers on the internet today is a hotly debated topic as many blogs die off as quickly as they start up. Different estimates claim there are as few as a hundred thousand or as many as tens of millions of bloggers on the internet.

When larger media outlets began to appreciate the potential of the internet as a communication medium they too realized that blogging is a tool with many online uses. Everyone from the Food network to CNN uses blogging to communicate up to the minute information. In fact, most networks have a variety of blogs that follow each of their individual shows so that viewers can make comments and hold forums as well.

The vast number of uses this online tool has been applied to, and the level of sophistication blogging has reached, may lead some to believe it has moved beyond the reach of the average business person. That blogging is now strictly reserved for those who deal in information technology, breaking news or paparazzi sightings of Britney Spears at Starbucks. In fact, quite the opposite is true.

Owners of traditional businesses find that blogging is a very effective tool to connect with potential customers they would otherwise not be able to access. A flower shop, for example, can post a short blog entry on its website regarding how to incorporate flowers into unconventional Valentine's Day gifts. Even the most creative of men would always appreciate suggestions in this area. This will serve the duel purpose of providing information and marketing the shop in a very positive and helpful way.

Probably the most attractive aspect of blogging as an online communicate tool is the ease of use. Sites like Blogger.com allow a user to begin broadcasting their message into the cyberspace after only a short sign up process. For those who want more control over their blog's appearance, access and execution applications such as Wordpress, MovableType, and Greymatter can be easily installed on your server and hosted with relative ease and at little or no cost. There are also a variety of templates available online to customize the appearance of these programs to meet your personal taste.

Whether your goals are family oriented fun, domination of the global media or simply to carve out your own little niche in the expanding arena that has come to be known as the "blogosphere," you will find that blogging, is a an online tool with many uses.