A blog (also a shortened form of weblog) is a web log (i.e. a place where people put up their thoughts) with special features like guest book, commenting, polls, and search tool. A blog (like a personal page) can serve many purposes: to share knowledge, ideas, experiences and lifestyle with others; share information or publish written work for public distribution; or to make money by selling advertising space. The most important aspect of a blog is that it must be interesting and informative for its visitors. As a result, it has to cover a broad range of topics so that readers will find it worth reading.

One of the major benefits of blogging is its wide reach. With a simple click of the mouse you can reach out to millions or even billions of Internet users around the world. This global reach makes it accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time. A blog, just like a personal diary, allows you to write what you feel or think, no matter how taboo or sensitive it may be. A personal diary is one way to write about your feelings and emotions in a safe online diary or forum.

A major advantage of blogs is that they are easy to start and require no special skills or experience. They can be run either using WordPress (the most popular blogging platforms) or any other popular blogging platform. The code required to run some blogs, such as My blogging site, is available free on the Internet. A major disadvantage of blogs however is that they lack the branding of established websites, like websites created for major companies, magazines, or newspapers. As a result, most blogs are not read or visited by readers.