With the frequency with which the terms “blog” and “blogging” appear in topics ranging from politics to pornstars, it’s difficult not to notice them. Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past four years, chances are you’ve noticed it. Even with that level of familiarity, few people can explain exactly what a blog is.

First and foremost, a brief history of the blog is required to comprehend it. The word “blog” is a contraction of “weblog.” A weblog is a term coined early in the internet era to describe a journal or diary-style page that primarily contains personal reflections and thoughts. It is frequently updated and can cover a wide range of topics, from the mundane to the profound. Does this ring a bell? It ought to. When you strip away the hype, what you’re left with is a good old fashioned diary, which has been around almost as long as language itself.

How long have “blogs” been a part of our lives? One of the earliest examples can be found in “Kakheperresenb’s Complaint,” a work written by none other than the Egyptian scribe Kakheperresenb himself. (Do not attempt to pronounce the name.) You ARE going to get a headache. From now on, we’ll refer to him as “K.”) Around the year 2000 BC, “K” made one of the first recordable blog entries in history. Of course, “K” lacked the resources and technology that we have today, and his audience was likely small given that the majority of the population was illiterate.

“Would I have phrases that are not known, strange utterances, in new language that has not been used, free from repetition, not an utterance which men of old have spoken?” “K” left us with the memorable phrase, “‘Would I have phrases that are not known, strange utterances, in new language that has not been used, free from repetition, not an utterance which men of old have spoken.” People who had blogs back then were obviously still trying to figure out what to write!

But, seriously, the blog IS the way to fame and fortune, as well as a little extra cash. Just ask Darren Rowse, whose most recent Adsense income total was a little over $16,000 in August 2005! That’s right, there were three zeros behind that 6. Not bad for a guy who posts his own ramblings and comments on everything from sports shoes to bad movies. Of course, Darren went so far as to enrol in a college course called “Entrepreneurial Blogging.” He had to have been paying attention, right?

However, you do not need to take a course to have a successful blog. extroidinairre extroidinairre extroidinairre extroid Chris Wright began his by simply posting engineering job openings that he discovered during his own job search. As word spread, he soon realised his hit count was steadily increasing… You see what I mean. People will come to you whether or not you have invited them if you write something interesting that they need to know. Chris’s own storey exemplifies this perfectly.

So, you want to run this by me again, right? What you’re saying is that all I have to do now is start writing about – NOTHING.

No, not quite. Content reigns supreme on the internet and in the real world, as it always has. To get people to link to you and thus increase the number of hits to your blog and thus fatten your wallet, your writing must be funnier, sharper, wittier, smarter, more bizarre, or just plain weird.

But take note of how many choices you have. You don’t have to rely on your education to succeed. You also don’t need a lavish lifestyle to blog about while others look on in envy. People will come regardless if you can make the boring, dreary life of the average nobody funny and interesting. CONTENT IS KING, as previously stated.

More visitors = more banner hits = more money = good content.

So you’re interested in learning how to start blogging?

It’s actually quite simple. There are several sites that will allow you to host your own blog, and the majority of them will do so for free. Blogger is most likely the most well-known. Others, however, exist. If you’d rather go the more personalised route, try on some of these:

Livejournal

– For the blogger crowd, this is the “kinda” cool and hip virtual location. You can link to other people based on their interests, and it has some other cool features, such as the ability to allow only certain people to post.

Diaryland

– Diaryland’s origins are not hidden. In fact, it tries its hardest to resemble the good old fashioned diary/journal that we all know and love as closely as possible. They have a more intimate and small-town feel than some of the other locations.

What if you’re not sure you want to start and instead want to spend some time reading other people’s blogs until you have a better idea of what you want to say?

There are a plethora of websites dedicated solely to listing and aggregating other people’s blogs. To get you started, here are a few suggestions:

Globeofblogs

– This site has a distinct international flavour. Here you will find blogs from all over the world.

Blogarama

– Another collection of blogs on a variety of topics ranging from bizarre to fantastic.

Blogsearchengine

– This website gets right to the point. They will search for blogs for you if you request it. Simply type in the topic of your choice.

Top-blogs.com is a website that lists the best blogs on the internet. So you’re interested in hearing about other people’s success stories? Check out the listings near the top of the page. Then you’ll see what it takes to get to the top.

So, hopefully, you now have enough knowledge to start your own blog. So, what do you have to lose? Get out there and start BLOGGING!