Blogging Background

Apparently, the act of web logging (or, as we all know, blogging) began some time ago. As the world wide web became popular, people began writing about the subject they knew most about: themselves. Online diaries and personal websites made way, through the years, for blogs. Today blogs are still used for personal diaires, as well as news reporting, random info based on various interests, and editorial-type opinion writing. To save you from reading a boring list of historical stuff that you might not care about (and to save me from writing it), just check out Wikipedia if you're interested.

What has recently caught my interest (just because I can't help it and I'm a writing nerd) is the way blogs are being used for what is known as "citizen journalism" or "grassroots journalism." Ordinary people who have a passion for current events and a plethora of opinions have taken on roles as journalists and begun reporting various angles on various stories. CyberJournalist.net has created a list of what they call "citizen media efforts." Although citizen journalists cannot necessarily report news without copying from sources (simply because most people don't have their own inside reporters overseas or Associated Press connections), they can still publish their opinions about the news, and they're using the popularity of blogging to accomplish what they need and want.

If you're interested in citizen journalism, check out SourceWatch for information. Or check out the ever-reliable Wikipedia definition.

An interesting YouTube video on citizen journalism: