Bloggers

Blogging as we know it today is considered to have begun in 1994. Early bloggers were known as diarists or journalers since their Web sites were often set up similar to an online diary or journal, keeping track of their daily thoughts and activities.

Jorn Barger, an industry pioneer with his weblog Robot Wisdom, was the first person to use the phrase, blog, around 1997. At the time, all digital conversation took place among communities using systems and online services such as Usenet, GEnix, and Bulletin Board. Conversations were held with user comments and messages threaded together on a virtual corkboard. Other users were able to read messages separated by topic or content and add newer threads to the conversation.

The start of new blogs became widespread in the late 1990s due to the use of blogging tools such as browser-based software and Web hosting services. One of the more popular hosting services, Wordpress.com, was home to 32 percent of bloggers and its users published approximately 42 million new posts per month in 2019. Blogs and bloggers are increasing their power and influence over how news, issues, and events are covered, commented on, and shared worldwide.