'Web Log' Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Ten years ago, the phrase "Web log" — which was then shortened to "blog" — was born.

In a week-long series, NPR takes a look at the evolution of the blogosphere and to find out who's blogging, examine the language and culture of blogs, and find out how blogs are changing our lives.

According to Sreenath Sreenivasan of Columbia Journalism School, there are more than 100 million blogs and 100,000 new blogs are created daily. However, he adds, most are read by only the writer and his mother.

Blogs have no doubt had an impact on American culture and especially on politics. According to Mark McKinnon, media adviser to the 2000 and 2004 Bush presidential campaigns, "some blog-related story" will change the course of the 2008 election. McKinnon, now an adviser to GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), remembers that in 1999 and 2000, no one working on the Bush campaign even had a Blackberry. Fast-forward to 2008, and candidates have to assume that anything he or she says will be picked up and moved into the blogosphere.

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