ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief sketch of the history of blogging, as platform, genre, and influence. Blogging and citizen journalism are not the same, but have an overlap in practices citizen journalists may use blogs to share their reports and content, and bloggers might carry out citizen journalism. Blogging was also a support and promotional outlet for other fields; in education, for instance, blogs were used in classes, and academics blogged to promote work-in-progress, share their research and publications, and discuss related topics. The history of blogging is also a history of changing perspectives and disputes around the value and contribution of blogs, and online communication in general. The Western blogging moment was exactly that: “peak blog”came and went, as blogging transitioned from being something new to an established and accepted practice online. However, blogging remains an active practice because its own abilities and specializations remain relevant and have not been completely replaced or integrated by social media platforms.
