Blogs made the # 2 spot on Cynthia Webb’s Top 10 list of notable tech developments in 2004.
# 2. Blogs Get Real: Web logs have become so mainstream that Merriam-Webster reported that the word "blog" was the most looked-up word of 2004. Blogs started ages ago in Internet time, but what was new in 2004 was the attention they finally got from traditional media outlets. Blogs were put under the spotlight during the Republican and Democratic national conventions, but it was on Election Day that they perhaps had their biggest impact, when numerous bloggers posted early election exit poll data. "Are blogs journalism?" was a big question of 2004. Perhaps the question in future years is whether journalism itself evolves into endless blogging. Tech giants are certainly betting that the blog revolution is here to stay, with Microsoft rolling out its own blogging software. Nick Denton's Gawker Media empire, which includes the popular Wonkette, is surely a sign that the profit potential is there.
