Unquestionable, a blog is a medium that gives maximum exposure to one's creativity. Just by hitting 'post' button and any personal writing becomes published writing.

Weblogging is driving a powerful new form of amateur journalism. Today, millions of Net users - young people especially - have taken up role of columnist, reporter, analyst and publisher while fashioning their own personal broadcasting networks.

For inexperienced, a blog consists of a running commentary with pointers to other sites. Some, like Librarian.net, Jim Romenesko's Media News or Steve Outing's E-Media Tidbits, cover entire industries by providing quick bursts of news with links to full stories.

Journalism and blogging together is becoming popular day by day, more than any other form of blogging. Following reasons are considered to extensively contribute to its increasing popularity:

Creative Freedom

Part of a blog's allure is its unmediated quality. For a journalist, there's no luxury like luxury of publishing unedited essay. The freedom in being able to present yourself precisely as you want to is of enormous joy. It does not matter how sloppily, irrationally or erratically content is written. The idea is to publish what you think in way you think.

Instantaneity

From Ezine to Expert

By Francine Silverman

When my first guidebook, Catskills Alive, was published in 2000, I became interested in book promotion. I read everything I could get my hands on but found there was very little written on how to market books. Most of articles were on business marketing – products and services. So last March I decided to start a free on-line newsletter, suspecting that I’d found a niche. My hunch proved right. The ezine has grown from 10 subscribers to well over 1050 in nine months and number continues to grow every day. Told that I could not expect advertisers until I reached 1000, I haven’t made much money so far. Even though list has exceeded magic number, only advertisers have been subscribers and it’s been sporadic. But I am hoping that as subscription list grows, so will advertisers.

Profits aside, newsletter was best idea I have ever had. My subscribers look forward to bi-weekly ezine and my ego is constantly stroked with rave reviews. Moreover, subscribers view me as an expert on everything. One asked if I knew any publishers for his baseball book. Another thought that because I live in New York City I have an “in” in publishing industry. Yet they do more for me than I do for them. Whenever I’ve written to them asking for help – in finding more subscribers or building my website – my mailbox has been flooded with offers of assistance.

A key to my newsletter’s success is that it’s interactive. I e-mail a Q&A to new subscribers and use best responses as fodder for text. In this way, subscribers really write newsletter and look forward to seeing their names and website addresses in print. I also answer every e-mail and use newsletter to accommodate subscribers who wish to promote their seminars or are seeking answers. I also honor those whose books have won awards.