The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms - Ross Murfin 2018

Blog

Blog: As a noun, a website consisting of dated entries open to the public, often focused on a particular topic and displayed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent postings appearing first; as a verb, to post content on or maintain a blog. The term blog is short for “web log”; blogosphere is often used specifically to designate an alternative media universe for the dissemination of news, information, and opinion. Blogging, which developed from online diaries in the mid-1990s, expanded substantially beginning in 1999, following the release of blogging software such as blogger and LiveJournal, and took off in the wake of 9/11.

Blogs, which may be authored by an individual or a group of contributors, provide commentary and observations on one or more topics; indeed, the ease and speed of publication enables nearly instantaneous reporting. Blogs often take the form of a webzine (online newsletter) or personal journal and have an interactive format, inviting feedback in the form of comments from readers posted after the relevant entry. They generally include links to other websites; are updated regularly; and may also contain images, video, discussion threads, and search features.

Many well-known blogs are politically oriented, such as Daily Kos; FiveThirtyEight; the Huffington Post, which also aggregates news; InstaPundit; and RedState. Literary blogs include The Awl, Five Chapters, and The Paris Review’s The Daily. Other popular blogs include Business Insider (business), The Daily Beast (news), Deadspin (sports), Lifehacker (life hacks and software), Reality Tea (reality television), TechCrunch (technology and start-ups), and TMZ (celebrity gossip and entertainment news).