IdE's Oppinion

oleh : John C. Dvorak (pcmag.com)

A recent overlooked Web trend—overlooked by the mainstream media, at least—is the proliferation of public diaries, generically referred to as Blogs. The term originated from "WeB log" and was further promoted by pyra.com as a Blog at its www.blogger.com site, although www.pita.com is considered the original source of easy-to-use Web logging. People who "Blog" are called Bloggers, and right now there are hundreds, thousands of Blogs on the Net.

The vanity page is dead; long live the Blog. The vanity Web page has lost momentum. People who posted one have already done so, and the growth has slowed. Most are uninteresting and uninspired. Cat pictures dominate too many of them. A Blog is the next iteration, and most vanity site mavens have gravitated toward these things. Serious vanity site developers have gone into posting hobby or special-interest sites, having learned by experience how to make an attractive Web page. This is, indeed, progress.
And the universe of these diaries can even be searched at various specialty search sites, such as www.blogfinder.com.

Generally speaking, these postings are fascinating, since they often have serious elements of Hyde Park corner blather, besides blatant exhibitionism and obvious self-indulgence. And whatever you think of them, you'll admit that they are much more interesting than the static vanity site from years ago.
One of the best examples you'll find on the Web of a homebrew special-interest site is the stunning Jacob's Bugatti Pages at http://homepage.mac.com/bugatti/jacob. If you have a hobby and want to make the Web part of that hobby, then look no further than Jacob's for inspiration. But if you just want to pontificate and talk about yourself, start a Blog.

Blogging goes beyond software posting and uses an entire system that allows for easy creation. With a Blog there is no coding to do. The Blog is usually more attractive than sloppy HTML done by an amateur, and by nature it demands updating so that the material is kept current. People can't resist updating the diary and apologize if they don't do it—as if anyone really cares. You have to be dedicated to a Web site to keep it current. Not so the Blog; it's more addictive. And hobbyist Blogs have emerged. For example, some people like to watch a lot of movies and review them. They see a movie and immediately post their comments. Some of these homebrew reviewers are better than the pros.

Still, with the few hobbyist exceptions, Blogs are mostly personal diaries. Here's where the sociology comes in. Why, exactly, do people want to have other people read these ramblings? Many are incriminating! Ask a Web log addict why he or she does it and you'll get a range of answers that tend towards the "because it's easy" or "because it's fun!" bromides. I think there are deeper reasons. Here are a few obvious possibilities:
Ego gratification. Some people need to be the center of attention. It makes them feel good about themselves to tell the world what important things they've been doing and what profound thoughts they've been having. Curiously, while this looks like the most obvious reason for a Web log, I think it's probably the least likely reason, since it's too trite and shallow.
Antidepersonalization. When people begin to think that they are nothing more than a cog in the wheel of society, they look for any way to differentiate themselves. The Web log proves they are different. Just read it. You'll see.

Elimination of frustration. Day-to-day life, especially in the city, is wrought with frustration, and the Web log gives people the ability to complain to the world. You get to read a lot of complaining in these logs. If you think I'm a complainer, oh boy!
Societal need to share. As a cynic who gets paid to write, I have a hard time with this explanation. But it seems some people genuinely like to "share," and this is one way.
Wanna-be writers. A lot of people want to be published writers. Blogs make it happen without the hassle of getting someone else to do it or having to write well—although there is good writing to be found. Some is shockingly good. Most of it is miserable. I expect to see those Open Learning classes around the country offering courses in Blog writing.
Whatever the reason for the Blog phenomenon, it's not going to go away anytime soon. The main positive change: far fewer cat pictures!