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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 versus 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 and a tiny group of people

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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 where news became both professional and personal.

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A new kind of website called a weblog, or blog for short,

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came onto the scene 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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In 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

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and 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 new story.

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

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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 its 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 appeals to a high number of small audiences.

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So, it's up to you.

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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 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 or wordpress.com.

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I'm Lela Fever, and this has been Blogs in Plain English on the Common Craft Show.