"(n) Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly-accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author."

Blogs are personal in a way that 'older' opinionated print magazines can never be. They are straight from the horse's mouth- as it were, in tune with the times and coloured with the personality of their writer. Bloggers are perceived as trustworthy voices, reflecting current societal values and sensibilities. They are seen as real, not the product of commercial media empires, and instantly and daily earn their readers' attention and respect.

Suddenly, 'budding-tons' (my own hybrid of budding and wanton!) are no longer restrained by finding the 'right' publisher, agent or medium for their writings-which can be a disheartening experience. A direct route to potential readers can now be instantly established. They can write about whatever they wish, and address any audience. Thanks to blogging, a new genre of independent expressive writers has been born, and with them, new communities and activities have emerged.

The blogging 'intifidah'

In China, Iran, and Iraq, the 'little man" is finding his way to be heard; and Big Brother is listening. The occupation of Iraq, for example, threw up a number of bloggers, and for many the quotations from their writings in Western newspapers were the first time that they heard of blogs.  "Where is Raed" is one - and Baghdad Burning (or River Bend) is another.  Both Sites are written by Iraqis, (River Bend is written by a woman) and provide a unique view of the reality of the Invasion and life in Iraq today. 

Apart from local political comment River Bend's author also had time to write recently: -

"The last few days I've had to give up the keyboard and blog for something less glamorous- the bucket and mop.  It started about 3 days ago. I was out on the driveway, struggling with the garden hose and trying to cunningly arrange it to give a maximum trickle of water. My mother was standing at the door, chatting lightly with Umm Maha, from across the street- a stocky, healthy woman in her late forties."

Baghdad Burning has even attracted a copycat Site, a fake "Baghdad Burning" blog at riverSbend.blogspot.com - using mainly US Government press releases!

Another blogger, based in the West, who has received wide attention is Moorish Girl who writes at length about new literature and her day to day experiences.

Business Blogging

Blogging has revolutionised media on its own merit. You can now find blogs about anything, by anyone; and big corporate companies are wizening up fast. The phenomenon is growing at such a rate that BusinessWeek described it to be ".of an increasingly powerful megaphone for the little guy." 

In September 2003 the Harvard Business Review published, "A Blogger in Their Midst" - one of their famous case studies, about a (fictional) company where a middle - ranking employee attracts new clients via her blog,  and sales climb .. the HBR asks "Should the CEO consider her a priceless marketing weapon or a grave security risk?" 

A Publishing Revolution

Eighteen months ago, Andrew Sullivan, who writes for www.andrewsullivan.com, The New Republic, and The New York Times; described blogging as "self-declared independence". He saw it as "a publishing revolution more profound than anything since the printing press. Blogger could be to words what Napster was to music - except this time, it'll really work." And he was right. By now, Blogging has lost it's underground image and is very much mainstream.

Blogging Network, one of the largest portals of blogs in the USA, promises: "every time someone reads your blog, you get paid". Big, respectable corporations are incorporating blogs into their mainstream web sites. The blogosphere is omnipresent, and you are part of it. Weblog tools are increasingly used by many websites- you could be a blogreader without realising it!

'and now. the science bit'

Blogcount estimates that there are roughly 2.4 million to 2.9 million active Weblogs as of June 2003. 1,579,653 Weblogs are Indexed, and 1,042,570 are Estimated to be Active. Nearly 1 millions blogs are created and abandoned after an average of 129 days by owners (commitment issues- I wonder?).

Of the 655,631 Weblogs currently indexed by the The National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITL) BlogCensus, the overwhelming majority are published in the English language.

According Jupiter Research. Interestingly, Jupiter also found that blogging is split evenly among the genders, with most (70 percent) bloggers having an online tenure of more than 5 years.

Majority of bloggers are young people (ave.20's) while blog readers are older more. Interestingly, the subject matter and content vary per country. 62% of Polish blogers, for example, are women, while 76% in Persia are men.

1.63 million blogs abandoned after an average 126 days. Those who enjoy writing stick with blogs longer (abandoned blogs had shorter posts)

It has been predicted that "The number of hosted blogs created to exceed five million by the end of 2003 and to exceed ten million by the end of 2004".

About Bloggers:

·                     2 percent of the online community has created a blog

·                     60 percent of bloggers are dialling up (as apposed to broad band)

·                     57 percent have a household income below $60,000 per year

·                     Blogging is split evenly among the genders

·                     70 percent of bloggers having an online tenure of more than 5 years

About Blog readers: 
·                     4 percent of the online community read them
·                   60 percent male
·                     61 percent in homes where the total income is more than $60,000 per year
·                     54 percent dial-up vs. 46 percent broadband
·                     73 percent of blog readers have been online for more than 5 years  

what's the fuss about?

In a nutshell, the 'Joe and Jane Blogs' of the world are blogging, and big executives and listening. Dave Winer-CEO, Userland.com says "We're returning to what I call amateur journalism: created for the love of writing, without expectation of financial compensation . Times faces: how to remain relevant to a population that can do for themselves what the big publications won't. . Bored readers are looking for alternatives, but because the paper is limited in its number of writers, it can't branch out to cover other angles. My bet says the tide has turned: Informed people will look to amateurs they trust for information they want."

And why am I, as a psychic, telling you about blogging?

Because it is an easy, instant and gentle way to start a bit of your 'homework', and to realise there is a creative side to your mind- you just have to acknowledge it, and not judge it. To learn that by your commitment to maintain a blog you will be conditioning yourself, on a daily basis, to see that anything is possible, and that there is no limit to what you can develop. Effectively you will, in fact, be affirming all that to yourself. The daily blogging act could be your commitment to your own development.

For many of my clients writing seems to be one of the difficult tasks to start. I receive a great deal of feed-back along the lines of: 'I have put the plan into action, but I don't think I am a writer, or I do not see myself writing. It is not for me'. But is for everyone. It's your birthright, and as you can see, online journals/diaries are developing a life of their own.

In many ways, writing is the mirror of the mind. You may store information up there, but until you actually put your thoughts down in black and white you do not know what shape they will take, nor where they are going to lead. Judging from what friends and clients have told me about their blogging experiences, you will be surprised what your mind can come up with, and by the revelations you will have about yourself and your psyche!

The real upside to all that is you might actually enjoy blogging. It is fun, and your mind won't even notice how easy it is to break old molds and make new ones. It is a new start everyday, a second chance to reinvent yourself, perhaps even your identity and what you can achieve each day (bloggers, it seems, value registering their own catchy Internet domain names and blog names.

In the blogosphere, you will come across. my life - if I had one. One of my clients, Ritu, already has her own blog - Ripples on Water, and there is also an article on PSMagazine about her blog. Also see  Psyche Odysseys.

The power of One

In my view, blogging is about finding your voice, allowing your soul a creative outlet; expressing yourself and getting heard. It's about discovering that 'you are not alone', others want to know what you have to say.

It's about communicating, intuitive stream of consciousness writing, not judging yourself or what you are capable of, building communities of like-minded people and about bridging barriers. It is about individual drops of rain that run into an ocean, the single dots which make up the Matrix. The power of One.

I believe that it is important to create communities online, where people can support each other and share experiences. We should use every means possible to assist people to link together. We live in a global village, often far from family and old friends, the Internet has the power to create virtual places where we can meet.

The next time you're frustrated, whether from life, love or people; transmute your venting into a positive expression. Don't flog a dead horse- blog it! However, do be prepared. Statistically, once you abandon your blog your chances of resuming are 1 in 200.

'Commit' - and may the blogging force be with you.

Here are a few blogging clicks for you to investigate:
Blogger, Diaryland, Live Journal, MovableType, PHP-Nuke, TypePad, Userland, 20six, NITLE Blog Census, BlogCount.

© Sahar Huneidi, London 2003