Have you ever wondered where exactly blogging got its start? When exactly was the first blog written, and how has the blog evolved into what it is today? Read on for the answers to these questions, and learn about the timeline of the blog.

What Is a Blog?
First, let’s start out with the basics. What is a blog? Dictionary.com defines a blog as “a website containing a writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites.” A blog can also be described as “a single entry or post on such website.”

History

Early Days: The first blog is believed to be Links.net, which was created by a Swarthmore College student Justin Hall in 1994. Since the term “blog” was not yet used, he simply called it his personal homepage. Then, in 1997, the term “weblog” was created by Jorn Barger, who created the blog Robot Wisdom. In 1998, the first blog was posted on a traditional new site by Johnathan Dube. Then, in 1999, the term “weblog” was changed to simply “blog” by programmer Peter Merholz. The most popular blogging platforms in these early stages were LiveJournal and what is now known as Blogger.

The 2000s: This was the period of growth for blogging. The most popular early blogs were political blogs. By 2001, blogging had become popular enough for how-to articles and guidelines for blogs to appear. Many successful blogs got their beginnings in the early 2000s, like the Huffington Post. In 2003, the extremely popular WordPress was created. The AdSense advertising program was also launched, making it possible for bloggers to start making money.

Mainstream Blogs: By the mid-2000s, blogs had become very popular. In January of 2005, a study stated that 32 million Americans were reading blogs. Media sources, such as CNN also began teaming up with blogs and bloggers. The number of blogs continued to grow, and now almost every mainstream news source and corporation today have at least one blog. Today, blogs and podcasts are making their way into the blogosphere.

Blogging has greatly grown in popularity over the years and isn’t going anywhere soon. If you don’t already have one, we highly recommend starting your own blog today!