I've been thinking about blogging a lot today. I sent Evan an email congratulating him on Google's acquisition of Pyra/Blogger. I guess he can be said to have more or less made it. That's pretty impressive considering the current state of the tech economy.

There are a lot of things I don't understand about blogging: What is it, really? Where did it come from? Why did it catch on? Does it have staying power or will it be a dead concept 3 years from now?

More my own edification more than anything else I am going to ponder a few of those questions here.

blogger.com says this about blogging:

A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically—like a what's new page or a journal. The content and purposes of blogs varies greatly—from links and commentary about other web sites, to news about a company/person/idea, to diaries, photos, poetry, mini-essays, project updates, even fiction.

Blog posts are like instant messages to the web.

Many blogs are personal, "what's on my mind" type musings. Others are collaborative efforts based on a specific topic or area of mutual interest. Some blogs are for play. Some are for work. Some are both.

The origins of blogging is a more interesting question. A minimal amount of research would indicate that blogging predates blogger. This seems a little self-evident. Web logging seems to trace it's origins to the dawn of the web. Not surprising since the idea that a person might wish to keep an online log of their activities, thoughts, feelings, etc is a simple and natural one. (I want to say something about the ease of publishing with HTML and HTTP but can't figure out how to make it fit)

I have yet to find any conclusive information about when the term 'blog came in to common use. I suspect, though, that this IS more attributable to the success of blogger. I'm not sure. The first time I recall hearing or reading the term is mid-2001. I come late to these things.

In hindsight the question of blogging's popularity seems a little degenerate. I think it probably boils down to the fact that everyone loves to hear themself talk. The web is a great place to broadcast your thoughts. The advent of tools like blogger and Movable Type served only to make the self-publishing process that much simpler. I suppose the possibility of instant feedback and indexability (ala google,etc) didn't hurt, either.

In a way, though, blogs are an expression of the times. Generally blog entries are short and therefore well tailored to our supposedly reduced attention spans. (insert comment about how blogs fit the odd increasing touchy-feely-ness/decreasing personal contact nature of our times) Blogs are hip, consumable, and interactive.

I really can't speculate on the staying power of the blogging craze. I suppose, due to its nature, it's here to stay. I can't imagine that people will suddenly wish to stop recording their experiences. I suspect the medium will become obsolete long before the idea loses favor.