Blog ‘Til You Drop

With society becoming more and more attached to the Internet, many people are taking up a new hobby: blogging.

 The term “blog” was first coined in 1997 as “weblog,” when it was meant to combine the words “web” and “log.” The term was later shortened to “blog” in 1999, and it became Merriam-Webster’s word of the year a few years later.

 Nowadays, blogging is possible for anyone with access to a computer. Sites like WordPress and Blogger make it easy for the average person to start their own blog. According to a Sysomos Research Report, 53 percent of bloggers are ages 21-35.

 Sophomore Joshua Rance writes a faith-based blog entitled “Concerning God” and felt the need to start it while driving to Vanguard from home one day.

 “I was reflecting on how much I had learned, relearned, and unlearned concerning God, church, faith, and spirituality. The idea then struck me that I probably wasn’t alone in experiencing this… I then decided that it would be an interesting idea to start a blog ‘Concerning God’ and record some of my thoughts [and] hope that it might prove insightful to someone else,” Rance said.

Blogs of every niche are now being written by people of many ages all around the world. Blogs range from faith-based, lifestyle, beauty, fashion, Do-It-Yourself (DIY), photography, parenting, and more.

 One thing that all bloggers have in common, no matter the genre, is the ability to reach out to people around the world in hopes that they will be affected by their writing.

 Freshman Riley Insko at “The Lighter Side Blog” writes about her stories as a barista and enjoys sharing them with the internet world.

 “If one of my blog posts is able to resonate with someone and make them say to themselves, ‘Oh, I feel that way too,’ then I know I have succeeded,” Insko said.

 Whether bloggers are blogging for fun or for work, it is becoming more and more of a prominent hobby and trend for people all around the world, and it doesn’t seem like it will be going away anytime soon.