As the newbie on staff here at ValpoLife, I have had many things thrown at me this past week. Yet none of it was as overwhelming as when I was asked to start blogging. Blogging? Me? I haven’t written a blog since the days of LiveJournal and Xanga, blogs which focused on the many facets of teenage angst: in other words, nothing worth reading. As I frantically brainstormed on topics to write about, I began to wonder just how blogging came about. Naturally, I turned to one of my favorite sites for garnering information: Wikipedia.
Now Wikipedia may not contain the most accurate information, since it is mostly user supplied; however, it sure is handy. And convenient. It gives the definition for a blog as: “a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.” Basically, a blog is an online journal, whether it is used for a corporation, education, or personal purposes.
Blogging evolved from online diaries, a fad which started in 1994. People wrote about their day to day activities and happenings, while forming communities and reading about the happenings in the lives of others. The term blog was first used in 1997 as “weblog,” by Jorn Barger, a guy with a really impressive beard. It was later shortened to “we blog” and then just “blog.” Blog is used both as a noun and a verb, because life just isn’t confusing enough. There are numerous hosting sites, software’s, and services used to blog.
Today, blogging has evolved to produce a new format: the social networking site. Facebook. Of course there is LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, and so on as well. For me, these sites make the most sense, with the exception of Twitter. Connecting with people you grew up with, people you attended school with, and former co-workers is an invaluable tool. Sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn make it easy to find and network with these people. In this current economy, networking is the best way to find a job. I can certainly attest to that!
So there you go. A little bit of history of the blogging world and a look at what is on my mind today. Even though the idea of posting my thoughts for all to see is slightly intimidating, I’m happy to have the opportunity to do so.