Web 2.0 Training

Blogs let people around the world share all kinds of information with each other. Many people blog about their personal lives, which on the surface seems trivial and narcissistic. But there's a bigger benefit: People who would never meet any other way can find each other's blogs, read about each other's experiences and discover commonalities in their lives.

Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project

If you have a blog, or want to start one, check out these links …

• Not blogging yet? Start one, and make it awesome: A beginner’s guide to tricking out your WordPress blog
• Oh, so you’re blogging AND hosting your own domain? These tools might be of interest to you: Top 10 tools for your blog or Web site
• Mena Trott clears some things up: The difference between Twitter and blogs
• Hey, blogger: Is your blog as social as it should be? 7 superb social plugins for WordPress
• Cool social media icons for your blog (and they’re free!): Komodo Media’s social network icon pack

• Dollarshort | Mena Trott’s personal blog
• Six Apart blog | News about Six Apart, the company Mena Trott co-founded
• Everything TypePad | Blogging tips and advice from the TypePad team
• Technorati Top 100 | Technorati’s list of most popular blogs, updated daily
• The Blog Herald | News about blogging
• Globe of Blogs | A collection of blogs from around the world

Mena Trott, who founded Six Apart with her husband, Ben, says she blogs about what she knows: herself.

She’s not the only one. Blogging has exploded in popularity over the last several years, and though you can find blogs on just about any topic you can imagine, many people choose to blog about their own lives.

Narcissistic? Sure. Pointless? No way. Personal blogs serve an important purpose: They’re an accessible, evolving record of life, Trott says.

Each post is a snapshot; taken together, the blog provides a full picture of the thoughts, people and events that have shaped, inspired and moved the blogger over time.

Trott talks about blogs she’s read that have chronicled tragedy and triumphs, and how those blogs were able to resonate with readers because of their personal nature.

Related links

• Read Mena Trott’s personal blog, Dollarshort.
• Check out Six Apart the company founded by Mena Trott and her husband.
• Take a look at personal blogs from around the world at Globe of Blogs.

Watch a video of Trott’s TED talk: