New to weblogs?
If you're new to the world of weblogs, allow Alan Connor, resident reviewer for Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two's Daily Politics and the Ö÷²¥´óÐã News Magazine, to explain.
What on earth is a so-called "blog", and why do I want one in my life?
It's an ugly word, isn't it? But if you tend to find your eyes glazing over when people twitter about technology, then read on.
Because the reason for all the fuss about blogs is that they let you write your thoughts and share them with the rest of the world - and you need know nothing more technical than how to move your mouse.
Taking away that barrier means that more people can take part in the debate - and in the case of politics, having more voices in the conversation shouldn't be a bad thing. Just as importantly, this new space for talking about politics is a bit less formal, a bit more immediate - in short, there's some room for fun.
So who's writing? And is anyone reading?
Let's hear more from the politicians?
If you think of a politician as someone that it's hard to get to shut up, it won't come as a huge surprise to find yet another medium that our honourable friends are using to bang on.
But there's another way of looking at it: in increasingly-paranoid times, it's reassuring to see our representatives willingly and voluntarily putting themselves on the record.
The more, ahem, loquacious of our MPs are present and correct: from , with his army of fans, to a certain member for Grimsby who's blogging at a site called .
But quieter politicians are also running blogs, using their sites to talk to their constituents about local matters, or enjoying the opportunity to use less parliamentary language.
What's new here is that the voters can talk back. Blogs typically have a space for reader comments under every piece of writing - a an innovation in a part of the world where, for hundreds of years, the politicians have talked and the rest of us have listened.
This means two things. Firstly, everyone can talk now, so it's going to be interesting to see if anyone can listen. And secondly, when an MP sets up something called a "blog" that doesn't allow you to answer back, they're probably just throwing buzzwords around again.
Everyone's an expert
And in the same platform we also find a phalanx of new and lively political commentators, operating in a parallel world to the papers, with a similar mixture of jabber and insight.
We'll always need news organisations to find out what's going on in the world - it takes time, money and a good set of contacts to cover breaking news, and the cameras and microphones help, too.
But comment on that news is a different matter. All you need is a splash of wit, and something to say. Having neither of those things doesn't stop people blogging, of course, but when you locate the writers you like, you might find yourself reading their paid-up counterparts a bit less - with the exception, naturally, of your trusty Ö÷²¥´óÐã correspondents.
Finally, the technical whizzery under the hood of most blogs also means that they bring different people and different sites together, often of apparently disparate opinions, which at its best can lead to interesting new takes on what's going on.
The downside, then, is that the "blogosphere" (the world inhabited by those reading and writing blogs) has even less quality control than the world of professional journalism. The upside is that whether you're looking for pernicious tittle-tattle, sustained economic analysis, or the two in the same blog, there's a world of free writing out there. Let's talk!
If you want a guide through the estimated 14m blogs, that's what the 's Weblog Watch column is for. And if you're thinking of starting one yourself, the Daily Politics will help in its .
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