You’ve probably heard a lot about blogs recently. Maybe you even write your own!

Short for weblogs, people use blogs to write about things that are important to them: whether it’s news, politics or a simply a personal diary.

Blogs may seem like new “fad” technology, but they have exploded in popularity over the past two years. The reality is that people read blogs in large numbers!

A recent study shows that almost 60% of Canadian internet users read blogs – more than in the US, UK or Europe!

But, what does this mean for dialogue and deliberation? Well, it means…

• People are becoming more interested in reading other people’s stories, ideas and commentary.
• More blog readers means more Bloggers. People, as well as organizations, are becoming more interested in sharing their own experiences in an online space.
• Citizens are looking beyond “traditional” media sources for news and views about what’s happening in the world.
• Blogs, in addition to popular tools like Facebook, are leading to the growth of personal networks online where people develop relationships and share conversations.

Blogs are about helping people learn new ideas and share points of view.

So, more blogs means more dialogue and deliberation! And that’s good news for all of us…

- Ellis Westwood -