I have been thinking about one of the questions that was posed to the panel last night: will the enthusiasm for blogs suffer the same fate as the enthusiasm for the personal web page?

Doubt it, although maybe that's naive of me. I am a newcomer so it's easy for me to believe that this is the technology that will finally change the world.

But, consider the dynamic nature of a blog. How many personal websites get updated multiple times a day? Or everyday? Or every couple of days? I have lost sight of a geocities page I set up years ago. It's still out there I'm sure but it has not been altered since its date of inception.

Also, personal websites seem to be inwardly focused, concentrating on aspects of a persons life that, quite often, are not relevant or interesting to an anonymous audience. Pics of a 5 year olds birthday party or a trip to an amusement park. A list of favorite movies. A resume and portfolio. These all likely generate little interest for the bulk of the population.

Blogs, in my limited experience with them, seem outwardly focused. The ones that I enjoy the most seem to operate in a spirit of sharing, of pointing out some of the strange, amusing or provocative niches one can so often view on the internet but so rarely find independently. They reflect a personal interest but seem motivated by the idea that others may share that interest. And when you're talking about the entire scope of the internet, finding a like-minded audience who will enjoy and appreciate the content/information/material in your blog is far more likely than finding someone who will check in daily with your personal web page.

We'll see how it all shakes out.