Top photo citation: Brown, M. (2012, November 19). What to blog about and how: 25 blogging lessons from 5 years. The Social Media Monthly. https://thesocialmediamonthly.com/what-to-blog-about-and-how-25-blogging-lessons-from-5-years/
Justin Hall
Justin Hall was the founding father of person blogging. He was born December 16th, 1974. Hall is an American journalist and entrepreneur. In 1994 he started his journey with a website called, “Justin’s Links from the Underground.” In this website he shared details of his life while he attended Swarthmore College. Hall then started experimenting with different types of blogging which included poetry and personal stories. (The Blog Starter, n.d.)1
Birth of Blogging
Many people started following in Hall’s footsteps by creating their own website. However, instead of calling it a blog, the name was simpler. Most people called it an online diary in which people would share their lives for others to read online instead of passing a notebook. Finding your own voice in the words on a page was a way to connect to others. In 1998, Jorn Barger created the term “weblog” and then in 1999 the word was shorten to “blog” by Peter Merholz. (Gunn, 2024)2
One World, Many Voices
There are so many bloggers out there because the word “blogging” is like a big umbrella. It is one word with many different subtitles.
Different types of blogs include:
- Personal
- Niche
- Business
- Lifestyle
- Professional
- News/Current Events
- Travel
- Food
- Review
- Multimedia
Demographic Data as of September 23, 2025:
The largest age group is 40+, which accounts for about 52% of the blogger population.
30-40 years old represents roughly 30%.
Bloggers under 30 make up about 18%.(Zippia Team, n.d.)4
Who is a Blogger
Blogging attracts all kinds of people, so there isn’t a single “type” of blogger. Culturally, bloggers are seen as individuals who share ideas, experiences, photos, and opinions online. They are often perceived as young and social-media-savvy, though in reality, bloggers come from all ages and backgrounds.
A hot topic that many people are facing is that some people are “hiding” behind the screen. They create a new persona when they blog versus who they are in person. Some love it, some hate it. Meeting people online is a huge thing right now, but who do you know who is actually behind the screen? It is something that always makes me question what I post and who can see it. How much is too much to share with the world?
US Politics: Blogs
How blog, bloggers, blogging have factored into US politics by:
- Reposting: So more than one person sees the item.
- Petitions: Spreading the idea quickly and to more people than in person.
- Debate: Space to share thoughts and hear what others have to say about it.
- Campaigns: They can post updates through a blog
- Fundraising: Quick easy way to raise money
- Accountability: A way to check statements from politicians.
- Policies: Having all policies on a topic makes it easy to read and navigate.
- Voices: You can choose who you want to give your attention to base on their words and nothing else that can lead to bias.
Footers:
- The Blog Starter. (n.d.). Justin Hall: Blogging pioneer. Retrieved from https://www.theblogstarter.com/justin-hall-blogging-pioneer/ ↩︎
- Gunn, D. (2024, March 13). The history of blogging: From 1997 until now. ThemeIsle. Retrieved from https://themeisle.com/blog/history-of-blogging/ ↩︎
- BloggingGuide. (2023, February 11). Blogging statistics to inspire & guide bloggers in 2023. Retrieved from https://bloggingguide.com/blogging-statistics/ ↩︎
- Zippia Team. (n.d.). Writer/blogger education requirements: Degrees, majors, colleges. Zippia. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://www.zippia.com/writer-blogger-jobs/education/ ↩︎
- SQ Magazine. (n.d.). Blogging statistics. Retrieved from https://sqmagazine.co.uk/blogging-statistics/ ↩︎
- Zippia Team. (2025, January 8). Blogger education requirements: Degrees, majors, colleges. Zippia. Retrieved from https://www.zippia.com/blogger-jobs/education/ ↩︎
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