What are blogs, really?

Just what is a blog and how does it work?

It is common knowledge that we on earth are perpetually besieged by charged rays – usually called "cosmic rays" – from the void around. What you may not be consciously aware of is that over these last few years, you have been assailed by a new man-made kind of zap – the B word barrage.

The B word barrage originates from that part of the universe that is called the blogosphere and carpet bombs mother earth with an intensity of several million hits daily. Somewhere in the back of your mind you realize you are being stormed upon, but you are so inured to it you hardly notice it any more, unless you live in the world of the internet.

Over 130 million blogs had been indexed as of December 2009 by Technorati, an internet search engine that has been identifying and recording blogs since 2002.

That tell you something? Even taking into account bloggers who own several blogs, dozens of millions of earthlings are in all likelihood going through (a substantial stretch of) time, (without doubt a large chunk of) energy and (very possibly a decent sum of) dinero on setting up blog posts and maintaining them: this necessitates constantly creating and posting new text, audio, video and graphic content. Every day.

And they are doing so because hundreds of millions of earthlings go through those posts, sponging up the messages that are communicated in all that text, audio, video and graphic content. Every day.

So how do we construe this craziness? What actually is a blog and how does it work?

My definition of blogging is: It is an avenue for putting across what you are all about, on any subject you feel like venting on, in any manner you opt for through an array of media (text, audio, video, graphics), utilizing a technically undemanding tool that asks for no great skill to set up and has the potential to reach out to every single intelligent being on this planet – or on any other planet with intelligent beings. Blogging also enables you to get reactions from your readers, viewers and listeners and do what you want with them: take no notice of them, eliminate them or nurture them and set off an outburst of two-sided or potentially unlimited multi-sided communication. That should tell you something more about what is a blog and how does it work.

And there is an added plus: as a blogger you can make money. A fair bit of money, if you are a blogger with an outstanding visitor volume. And in this particular article, that is the last titbit on just what is a blog and how does it work.

My definition may or may not sit well with you. I am afflicted with the blogging virus and I probably have a skewed opinion. Thus, my definition should not be considered the last word.

You can go over some more formal definitions of what exactly is a blog, what is blogging, what are bloggers and what is a blog and how does it work here.