The Blog Cannot Be Defined!

There is no need to define ‘blog.’ I doubt there ever was such a call to define ‘newspaper’ or ‘television’ or ‘radio’ or ‘book’ — or, for that matter, ‘telephone’ or ‘instant messenger.’ A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list….Blogs are whatever they want to be. Blogs are whatever we make them. Defining ‘blog’ is a fool’s errand.

Jeff Jarvis, circa Sept 30, 2005

This post is deeply silly, and borders on self-parody. A “blog” is apparently so revolutionary that, unlike every other word in the English language, it completely defies definition. Anyone who even tries is on a “fool’s errand.” Blogging is a wonderful new form of communication. But many new and wonderful forms of communications have come along in the past, and we have managed to come up with perfectly good defnitions for “scroll,” “tablet,” “printing press,” “telephone,” “television,” “radio,” etc. To argue that blogs are different goes well beyond “triumphalism” — I’d call it grandiosity, or narcissism.

Anon, in response to the above assertion by Jeff Jarvis, Sept 30, 2005

I’ll tell you how I define blogs, it is a wonderous portal to unimaginable knowledge and information, opinion, editorial and education. A source of great solace in times of trouble and a sorce of great irratation when I don’t agree with the posters.

Tonynobaloney, in response the various preceding assertions and comments on Buzzmachine