Let me say that I say this as one who blogs�but who does never felt he was a �blogger.�
I�ve been baffled by phenomenon of �blogging.�
How could people identify so strongly with a structural format?
But I think I�m starting to understand...
Blogging" is less about the format, and more about a renewed belief --grokking.-- of the web as the great equalizer.
Being a blogger doesn�t mean you use a certain type of content management software�it means you embrace the web as the greatest communication tool in the history of our species. A true evolution. It means you understand that your words and ideas can be GLOBAL.
And that with a voice that can be heard around the world, you could never be powerless.
You could never be truly alone.
Ten years ago, when Justin hall was screaming that "ITS SO DAMN EASY! ANYONE CAN MAKE A WEBPAGE!" He was right.
But then they invented tables. And CSS. And XML. And databases. And somehow it got hard.
With 10 tags, it is easy to master the language.
I remember telling everyone I met, �I can teach you html in a day.�
It was so exciting to think that a smart, talented kid could make a website as impressive as anything a team of people at Microsoft could produce.
And we were constantly being awed by brilliant individuals.
Then, it got harder and harder to make something "impressive" without a shitload of skills. And it got harder and harder to jump in the game.
With blogging technologies came the ability to project a respectable looking (and feeling) web presence with no technical skills.
Zero to Pundit in 24 hours.
And once again, a smart, talented kid could produce web commentary as impressive as anything a staff at Salon or Wired could produce.
Those are the kinds of internal power awakenings that change your life.
I would guess that someone who identifies as a blogger genuinely feels the connections between the people who read and comment on his site and the people whose sites he reads.
Because blogging is not just about creating a list of links�
It is about being a part of network.
Of reading others. Of being read. Of connecting in the realm of ideas with people. Of being an active part in the �web.�
In our deepest spirits, we know that we are all connected. Any spiritual path will get you there if you evolve far enough.
But the web has delivered us a physical manifestation of those connections. Well, �Physical� in that it can be explained by science. And blogging helps people to feel those connections.
To me, the web has always been about �blogging.�
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