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You've seen the word, you've seen the
websites, and you may even have one.

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But have you ever wondered, 
"What's the big deal about blogs?"

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This is Blogs in Plain English.

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To make sense of blogs, you have to 
think about the news and who makes it.

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We'll look at news in the 20th century vs.
the 21st century to make our point.

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In the 20th century, the news
was produced professionally.

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When news happened, 
reporters wrote the stories,

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and a tiny group of people decided what
appeared in a newspaper or broadcast.

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Professional news was mainstream, 
general, and limited.

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The 21st century marked the point when
news became both professional & personal.

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A new kind of website called a web log— 
or blog for short—came on to the scene

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that let anyone be a reporter
and publisher, often for free.

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As blogs became popular, they created
millions of news sources

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that gave everyone an audience
for their own version of news.

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Of course, we're using the 
word 'news' loosely.

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But really, isn't everything
news to someone?

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With a blog, a business owner can
share news about his business,

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a mother can share news about her family,

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or a sports star can share news with fans.

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These people are all bloggers.

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How did this happen?

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Well, blogs made sharing news
on the web easy.

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Anyone with an idea can start a new blog
with the click of a button and

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share news minutes later.

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Here's how blogs work.

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Blogs are websites that are organized by
blog posts.

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These are individual news
stories, like articles in the paper.

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Bloggers simply fill out a form like this
one to post a news story.

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With the click of a button, the blog post
appears at the top of the webpage,

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just above yesterday's news.

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Over time, the blog becomes a collection
of these posts,

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all archived for easy reference.

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Also, each blog post can become a 
discussion through comments left by readers.

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Blogs make the news a two-way street.

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But really, the fuss is not about 
how blogs work.

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It's about what people like you
do with them that matters.

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Let's say you have a blog about green
living and outdoor photography.

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It reflects your unique perspective.

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This helps you build relationships 
with your readers

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and other bloggers with similar interests.

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Speaking of relationships, bloggers often
work together.

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In addition to comments, you'll read each 
other's posts,

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quote each other,
and link your blogs together.

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This creates communities of bloggers that
inspire and motivate each other.

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Whether it's their ease of use or
the opportunities they offer,

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blogs have been adopted in a very big way.

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Since 2003, there have been over
70 million blogs created,

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each with it's own version of news.

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So the big deal about blogs is that they
gave people like you the power of the media

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and created a personal kind of news that

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appeals to a high number of small
audiences.

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So, it's up to you. What will you do
with this new power?

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There is likely a group of people out
there who want to hear

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what you have to say.

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You can search for blogs using Google's
blog search or Technorati.

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You can also start your own blog for free
at Blogger.com or Wordpress.com.

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I'm Lee LeFever, and this has been Blogs
in Plain English on the Commoncraft show.