13. The blogging generation

Saturday, April 16, 2005

I was talking to a friend of mine earlier tonight about the Internet and the people on it. On the one site I have my personal journal on to keep in touch with my online friends I'm one of the oldest members. Of course there are older, and when you think of it the age of twenty-nine is all that old. The journal site began as a site for role players, role playing something I have been known to do in the past because I see it as just another form of writing.

Since the site began as a place for role players to gather you have a considerable many members on the site under the age of eighteen, and more in their early twenties. I keep a journal on that site even now because I have formed friendships with many of the people on that site. However, the fact I have a journal there has offered me some criticism by the other members. I've heard the "You're too old. You need to get a life." I'm wondering if those that have said that to me even realize how many people keep online journals or blogs. People of all ages and ways of life are now starting to use blogs.

Blogs are becoming more and more used for everything. They can be used to share one's life with those they are friends and family with, they can express views of today's life and society. Almost any reason you can figure out in your head can find it way into a blog or online journal. More sites are now offering blogs or journals to their members. The most recent to jump into the blogging universe being Yahoo with their creation of their currently invite only Yahoo 360. MSN and AOL also have journal services available.

Journal or blog features may vary from site to site. On some sites you can lock them to control who sees the content, while others such as this site leaves blogs open to the public. If you can think of something you may want or need, the chance is you can find a site that offers that feature as part of its blog capabilities. There is also a difference in whether or not you have to pay for the blog as well.

The blog is the way of the future it seems. It shouldn't matter what your age is or what you do with your life. Blogs can be a form of expression, and for me as a writer it is an outlet to share things with the online world. I guess some people aren't able to see past their own lives and into the world around them. At least not yet. Everyone learns in time.