What is it?

A blog consists of frequently published short posts -- sometimes several per day -- and is organized chronologically, like a "what's new" page or a diary.

Today, blogs are used for everything from personal journals to intercompany notes to supplementary news on major media sites.

The most common type of blogs are those where individuals simply talk about what's on their minds -- from personal stories to links and commentary regarding other websites to observations on the news of the day. Find an interesting blog publisher and you've often found a source of original and compelling content.

How blogs work

Blogger allows anyone to create and easily maintain a blog on an ongoing basis. The key is that blogs are quick and easy to publish. Have a thought and you can post it on your webpage in a matter of seconds. This changes the dynamic of publishing a website. It makes your site more alive and current.

Blogger works with virtually any website. If you don't have a website yet, it will help you create one for free. However, Blogger is not a Web-design or HTML tool like FrontPage or Dreamweaver.

Add a blog after you create your website and maintain it (or a part of it) on an ongoing basis. It's what the big sites call "content management." They spend millions of dollars on complicated systems to try to get a grasp of it.

Read a blog

The best way to learn about blogs and Blogger is to visit some. The Blogger homepage always lists the most recently updated Blogger-powered blogs. There are tens of thousands all over the Web.

My five favorite blogs

1. b-may
   Bryan Mason has been working at the Olympics in Salt Lake City and blogging interesting incidents in a funny style.

2. Scripting News
   One of the oldest and most widely read blogs on the Web. Whether you agree with him or not, Dave Winer, software developer/journalist, is rarely boring.

3. The EGR Weblog
   Co-author of "The Cluetrain Manifesto" and author of "Gonzo Marketing," Chris Locke/RageBoy rips it up on his blog.

4. SATN
   This new blog is a collaborative work between two brilliant computer scientists/pioneers, Bob Frankston and David P. Reed, with help from Dan Bricklin.

5. Lightning Field
   A completely different kind of blog by professional journalist and amateur photographer David Gallagher. It is mostly a photo journal with beautiful pictures from New York and elsewhere he has traveled.

Click here for a list of Chris Pirillo's favorite blogs.

Anyone can start a blog. Blogger is free. What are you waiting for?

Evan Williams is the co-creator of Blogger and CEO of Pyra Labs. He publishes his personal blog here.

Chris Pirillo's Favorite Blogs

Chris keeps his own blog. But he's inspired by others. Here are Chris' top ten favorite weblogs. Before you follow a link, keep in mind that blogs are updated often and may contain profanity.

1. Ain't Too Proud to Blog
2. Blah Blah Blog
3. Meryl's Notes
4. Gary Turner's Momentary Lapses of Dilution
5. Wil Wheaton Dot Net
6. 802.11b Networking News
7. Digital Drivel -- Jim's Blog
8. Life of a One-man IT Department
9. Maybe It's Me?: Princess Elena's Blog
10. Cheyenne's World