v4n2 - Do you have something to say?

If you’re game, getting into the blogosphere is fairly easy to do, you just need to register with a blog site such as www.blogger.com, set up your page and start typing. With a few clicks of your mouse you can become part of a personal community of more than eight million and counting. According to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, an initiative of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, a new blog is launched every 5.8 seconds

“Blog is short for web log, which is basically an online diary,” explains Dan Tynan, a technology journalist in Wilmington, North Carolina. Blogs are different from conventional personal websites, says Tynan, because they’re simply designed using mostly text with little or no graphics. “They are much easier to set up than any other kind of website and they’re meant to be communities for discussion groups, so you can set up your blog where other people can add content to your site.”

Many blog sites are free and allow you to take a tour to see how to set up a page. Essentially, all you need to do to start blogging is open an account by filling out some basic information like a username or your e-mail address. Once you’re signed on, you’ll receive a password, which allows you access to the membership-only area, where you’ll find template tools to help you design your page. You can then start posting messages and chat with other site members in designated discussion group areas.

In addition to www.blogger.com, these sites are also free and easy to use: www.diaryland.com, www.xanga.com and www.journalhome.com