There can be little doubt that blogging is the biggest thing to ever hit the Internet. Now, blogging is a way of life for many people and is not only a tool for personal use but blogs are used by businesses to generate free publicity and advertising.

In its basic form a blog is an online journal in which the blogger documents his thoughts, ideas and opinions on practically any subject under the sun. There are many different websites on which to host a blog and all offer built in features such as adding pages, articles, photos, audio and video etc.

A typical blog will consist of a number of ‘posts’, or an article, with features such as:

title- which allows you to label your post
body- this is the content of your post
trackback- other sites can be linked back to your blog
permanent link- every article that you write has a URL
comments- this allow readers to post comments on your blog.

One of the advantages of blogging, is that the templates provided by the host websites are very easy to use. No technical skill is required and even the newest of Internet users will be able to create a stylish and information packed blog.

Anyone who wants to start a blog can do so by becoming a member of a blogging website of their choice. Once they've become members, they automatically become a part of that particular blogging community. They can browse through other bloggers pages, and link them back to their own blogs. They can also make comments on other members' blogs.

Blogging is not just limited to personal usage. There are a lot of blogs that follow a theme such as: sports, politics, philosophy, social commentary, etc. This way blogging becomes a medium in which people can share their knowledge and opinions about a variety of themes and topics.

Many entrepreneurs benefit from blogging by promoting their businesses on their blogs, with millions and millions of people logging onto the net everyday, blogging has become a lucrative medium in which to publicise a business.

But, by far, the most popular blog type is the one that takes the form of a personal journal. This is the kind that is usually used by first time bloggers. Individuals who want to document their everyday lives, publish their poems, stories, rants or opinions, find that blogging offers them a simple medium in which to express themselves.

There are very few rules when it comes to blogging and blogs are a great tool for anyone to use. But, be warned, they can become addictive with everyday life thrown out of the window until the latest blog entry has been posted!