Over the next three issues I will be taking a look into the world of self-publishing.

There are lots of people out there with many talents, ideas, and experiences they’d like to share with the world. Thanks to the Internet and some easy-to-use tools, doing so has become very easy. I’ll be looking at publishing journals, photos, and even web-based broadcasting.

In today’s Internet-savvy world, when people think of self-publishing it’s a pretty safe bet they are thinking about publishing a Weblog, or Blog. Blogging has changed the way writers publish. It used to be the route from writer to reader would be through an editor and publisher.

The Web, and blogging in particular, has unleashed a publishing revolution more profound than anything since the printing press. With a computer and access to the Internet, all a writer needs today is an idea.

What Exactly Is It?

The word blog is short for Weblog. According to Merriam-Webster a Weblog is “a website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.”

That’s a good start, but what you miss from this definition is the fact that blogs, and bloggers, are expressive, alive, and dynamic.

Blogs come to life with the temperament of their writers and reach us in ways that magazines and newspapers do not. Blogs can be personal journals kept online by groups like Slashdot, or they can be freeform journals about nearly any topic imaginable.

There are websites packed with links and ideas and users making arguments that used to solely belong to the established news outlets. If a topic exists, there is probably a blog out there to cover it. There is even an “Ask Joe” blog.

It’s Free and Easy