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All about blogging
Just as aspiring pop stars are taking to the web in a bid to find an audience, would-be writers are using blogs to get their message across, writes Sian McLachlan
A bit like an online diary - the confessions kind, not the organiser - a blog is a website that posts entries in chronological order so that, usually, the most recent entry is displayed at the top. While the majority of blogs are just written stories, videos and music can also be embedded and the writer can link out to other sites of interest.
People can use blogs to give their opinion and share news on any subject, from politics to music, movies to science, and, more often than not, the lowdown on their personal life.
Belle de Jour is the famous blog of an anonymous London call girl, who posted the intimate details of her life as an escort on the web. It was such a hit that it has subsequently been made into a book and now a much-hyped TV series that's hit our screens, starring Billie Piper.
Of course, blogs don't have to be that personal. But their popularity derives from both the egocentric nature of the writer and the curiosity of the reader. People can spend hours a day divulging information on their blog, which is usually unpaid. However, some blogs have become so popular that they are now bonafide websites which generate significant revenue.
Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. – aka Perez Hilton – started a celebrity blog in 2004 and he now runs PerezHilton.com as a full-time business, with many people using the site as the main source for their showbiz gossip.
When Amy Winehouse was recently, er, plastered over the tabloids covered in bruises and spattered with blood, who did she exclusively speak to about the incident first? Not an official newspaper or famous magazine, but blogger extraordinaire Perez, via text.
Talk about a media revolution.
Now, with the proliferation of blogs that offer uncensored, more personal and less corporate information, many readers are turning away from conventional websites to get their fix of gossip or news from the amateurs.
However, mainstream news agencies have tried to counter this problem by creating their own blogs.
In a media world where arguably the more personal something is, the better, newsreaders, journalists and presenters now run blogs alongside their usual outlets in a bid to keep their audience. Even politicians and corporate managers are now providing their personal views for all to see on the web and celebrities run blogs to keep their fans interested.
Think you've got an interesting tale to tell or simply want to keep your friends and loved ones up-to-date on your busy life, then why not start a blog? You never know who may be reading.
This article was created: 25 September 2007.
This article was last edited: 17 October 2007.
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