Blogging democracy

There's really nothing quite like a LiveJournal for providing a few precious minutes of homework distraction. Sadly, online journaling will be forever tainted by the stereotype of the angsty 14-year-old blogger who posts bad goth poetry, whines about love or spews a bunch of gibberish like, "omfg, d00d, counterstrike r00lz0r." In spite of this image, blogging offers a diverse, unique sense of community. Even if your passion is something wacky, like knitting Harry Potter sweaters for your ferret, you're much more likely to find some online communities that speak to your interest than you are to stumble upon a local chapter of the Hogwarts' Ferret Sweater Guild. \nOnline journals, also known as web logs or blogs for short, have emerged as a fascinating and popular phenomenon. Originally, blogs were mainly just a bunch of interesting links accompanied by a little commentary. Increasingly, people are exploring the potential of the medium, sharing personal narratives, poetry, serial fiction, ongoing experiments and anything else you could conceive. With all of the different bloggers out there, one has to wonder who exactly is contributing and what all the fuss is about. \nTaking advantage of the medium, many celebrities now include journal sections on their Web sites to keep fans updated on their projects. I was surprised to see William Shatner's entries do not, in fact, contain a whole mess of commas. He must have a good editor. Equally surprising, Anna Kournikova actually has text in her entries rather than just daily photos. Dave Barry posts a lot of amusing, off-the-wall news tidbits in his blog. Avril Lavigne is in love with exclamation points but not a big fan of capitalization. Marilyn Manson has long, broodingly intelligent posts, while cute little Hilary Duff ends all of her little posts with "luv ya'll, xoxo hil*." Obviously, the various writing styles reflect the authors, but they are also marketing tools to create feelings of friendship with the fans.\nEven politicians have been getting in on this online journaling trend as of late. Darned if that doesn't just give me the giggles! It seems so weird, but it makes sense when you consider the appealing nature of such an informal medium. A press release is good, but a personal journal-style entry from a candidate can seem almost endearing -- and isn't worming their way into the hearts of voters a main goal for politicians? \nJohn Kerry has a blog on his campaign Web site, as do Howard Dean and John Edwards. They tend to keep it very sober and political, which is a shame -- I so wanted to see an entry where Dean raved uncontrollably about some rude waitress in a Waffle House in Wisconsin -- particularly if he kept the caps lock on.\nOn a more serious note, one of the medium's biggest strengths is its ability to link people and make it easy for strangers to commiserate. Currently, there are plans for a book, tentatively titled "Blog Nation," which will contain a series of emotional blog entries made regarding the incidents of Sept. 11. The most beautiful pieces of writing produced in response to that ugly day came not from the pens of political commentators or government officials but from citizens of all ages seeking solace from their home computers, desperate to connect with people and make sense of a senseless act. \nOnline, you are free to spout whatever hateful, misinformed nonsense you choose, and it is up to your readers to filter what you say. In return, people are free to openly disagree, start arguments, even call you an idiot without mincing words. Blogging may not seem like a very big deal when you look back at your old whiny entries about your grades and your jerky ex. When you consider the implications, though, you have to appreciate the freedom of this truly democratic medium.