Blogging and reading blogs are popular activities. A recent study showed that over 8 million Americans had created blogs, and more than 32 million people in America alone regularly read blogs. That's probably a low estimate though -- new easy to use software and blogging aplications are giving increasing numbers of writers the change to get their work online by launching a blog.

And yet, according to that same study, 62% of online Americans do not actually know what a blog is!

In a nutshell, a blog (short for weblog) is a website where someone can post their thoughts, opinions, criticisms, and/or writings in journal, diary, or editorial form. A blogger is the person who posts the information.

Blogs can also boast interactive features such as links and message boards where readers can post comments and ask questions of the blogger.

Blogs often rank highly in the search engines because they are often updated. Popular blogs get a lot of traffic and inbound links.

You can find at least three kind of bloggers publishing their writing online:

Hobby bloggers write about a particular interest or hobby. Some of them blog about movie or book reviews, others keep you up-to-date about their favorite sports team (see U.S.S. Mariner  for one example). (There was probably a huge spike in blog postings right aroung the time the Red Sox won the World Series.)

Personal bloggers write online journals or diaries. This is often where you'll find amateur poetry or short stories, although that could fall under hobby blogging. Personal bloggers often blog to keep friends and family up-to-date with their day-to-day activities.

Commercial bloggers write blogs to promote their products or services, and to generate communications and public relations campaigns. Some commercial (or company) bloggers blog for internal audiences, to keep their employees aware of the activies of their business. Other commercial bloggers produce blogs for their customers so they can stay informed about new product developments. That can include blogs that focus on release dates and product launches.

There are a number of websites where you can go to set up your own weblog. The following list includes some of the popular free weblog platforms available, as well as some which charge a fee.

Blogger.com
MovableType.com
WordPress.com
LiveJournal.com
Xanga.com
MindSay.com
CityMax.com
Blinkz.com
MyWebPlus.com