The definition is simple: a weblog is a log of the web. It is a site, or often a section of a site, which links people to the good and great sites that the weblogger has come across on the Internet.
Most are based on a particular theme or interest that the weblogger has, but some are general. Webloggers can ease your entry into the wonderful world of the web if you can find a good one which is related to your needs - there are also plenty of conspiracy theorist weblogs which are just as tiresome as you would imagine.
As the dotcom implosion continues and commercial sites either disappear or merge into new media monoliths, weblogs will continue to be mainly amateur-run sites which link to the best, and some of the worst, the Internet has to offer. The individual's voice and view is important to and represented by the world's webloggers. If you are looking for something outside of the consensus view, or something cookie, or just something new and interesting, weblogs are a good place to start.
The term weblog has been around since December 1997, when it was first used by Jorn Barger, editor of Robot Wisdom (www.robotwisdom.com). His links are a little bizarre, to say the least, with very little rhyme or reason to why he picks them, but he deserves mention for being one of the originals and also because he is now trying, entirely unsuccessfully, to charge people $20 a week for linking to their site!
Blogger (www.blogger.com) offers instant communicating power by letting you post your thoughts to the web whenever the urge strikes. The site is good at explaining the ethos behind weblogging. It is also a completely free service. All it asks in return for helping is that if you set up your own blog you link back to them. It's a weblog of weblogs, which is either manna from heaven or the ultimate in navel-gazing, depending on your perspective. A quote on the site says: "If weblogs are the crack-cocaine of the World Wide Web, then Blogger is a pipe made from the most finely blown glass" - but don't let that put you off visiting.
The Honeyguide (www. chaparraltree.com/honeyguide) is a science weblog compiled by Raphael Carter. A labour of love for him, it explains its raison d'etre on the very plain homepage with the statement: "The honeyguide is an African bird that leads humans to beehives, then shares in the spoils when the hive has been opened. This weblog contains links to some caches of honey I've found on the Net." Biology seems to be his principle passion, but that doesn't stop him from suggesting "Sideshow George" as a nickname for the US president.
Another branch of science is the obsession at the Physic News weblog (http://physics. about.com/science/physics/ library/news/bllatestnews.htm). Acoustics, atomic physics, thermodynamics and weather physics - it's all covered here.
Many journalists, mostly in America, have taken full advantage of the freedom offered by weblogging to publish stories they cannot place anywhere else, and also to gather all of their work at one source, or at least in one set of links. They also use the immediacy of the Internet to publish their opinions as soon as they form them.
The Web means no waiting for press times or printing schedules. Advertising his site as being "updated at all hours" Mickey Kaus (http:// kausfiles.com) isn't afraid to take on politicians and other journalists, although he seems obsessed with the legacy of Bill Clinton.
Jim Romenesko's MediaNews (www.poynter.org/ medianews) is worth reading for anyone interested in how the media works and how it can be used to manipulate an agenda. It's also displays a sense of humour: recently it linked to a story on a columnist falling for April Fool's Day Dan Rather quotes.
Weblogs are not the greatest thing about the Internet, but they can lead you to some great things. Check out some of the above or, better still, set up your own log.
