For those born before 1980, the word "blog" can hold a mystique. However, the mechanism is simple. According to Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia on the Internet, a blog is a Web site with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events or other material.

Wikipedia stated many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular topic. There are two primary types of blogs; the personal blog, which is the traditional and the most common, and the corporate blog, which is used for business purposes to enhance the communication and culture in a corporate environment or used externally for marketing.

The modern blog evolved from the online diary, where people would keep a running account of their personal lives. After a slow start, around 1994, blogging rapidly gained in popularity. Blog usage spread during 1999 and after. Since 2002 blogs have gained increasing notice and coverage for their role in breaking, shaping and spinning news stories. In 2002, many blogs focused on com- ments by U.S. Sen. Trent Lott when he praised Strom Thurmond. Lott's critics viewed the comments as a tacit approval of racial segregation. Blogging helped to create a political crisis that forced Lott to step down as majority leader.

The online dictionary service explained that although often seen as partisan gossips, bloggers sometimes lead the way in bringing key information to public light. By 2004, the role of blogs became increasingly main stream, as political consultants, news services and candidates began using them as tools for outreach and opinion forming.