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A blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog
Do you remember when you didn’t even know what the word blog meant?
The short form, “blog,” was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May 1999
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There are an estimated 120 million blogs on the internet with thousands of new blogs being created each and every day. Our vocabulary for blogging has also grown with new words popping up such as ‘vlogging’ (video blogging), ‘blogroll’ (the list of websites you enjoy), ‘blogosphere’ (the collective community of all blogs), ‘drogging’ (Blogging while drunk, lol), among others.
There are entire corporations surviving simply off food blogs alone, bloggers who earn a decent income though ad placements, and companies chomping at the bit to have bloggers review their products. There are websites dedicated to pictures of food and awards for food blogs.
It is clear that the blogosphere has taken off over the past several years and shows no signs of stopping.
Or does it?
Must all good things come to an end?
Is food blogging here to stay or is it simply a fad or trend that will be washed away once the next big thing hits? In the next decade will food blogging reduce in popularity or will it only continue to grow?
Will the next generation be as keen to blog as we have?
It can be quite overwhelming for someone who is just stumbling across food blogs. Only a few years ago, food blogs were almost non-existent. Sure there were cooking and baking blogs, but blogs where people actually took pictures of what they put into their mouths weren’t too common. The first one that I ever stumbled upon was Cristin Dillon-Jones’ Eat Like Me. I remember thinking to myself, wow that is such an awesome concept- to show others what you eat everyday!
But nowadays, the food blog world has grown so immensely, it can be down right dizzying trying to navigate the sea of blogs out there. Where does one start and how does one keep up? Then, you stumble across a hugely popular blog and wonder to yourself, ‘How did I not know this blog existed before now!?’ That was how I felt when I came across Smitten Kitchen just last year!
I do think food blogs are here to stay, but I also think that we will continue to see them grow and change with the trends and fads. Vlogging is quite popular now, so I think we will continue to see video blogging more and more.
In what ways do you think blogging and food blogs will change in the future?
If you have a blog currently, how long do you see yourself doing it for?
And the most important question of all- Is food blogging here to stay or simply another example of a fad or passing trend?
Leave a comment below!
I hope food blogging is here to stay! I think that as long as people are into healthy living, there will be a demand for food blogs. I don’t know about others, but it helps me make better food decisions knowing that others are going to see what I’m eating and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon!
I am actually a brand-new blogger — I got inspiration from all you bloggers out there! I have to say that for me, the blogs I enjoy the most are the ones written by people who are totally genuine like you (because I can relate to a lot of what you write about). I think blogging will be around for a while!
I have been blogging on and off since last year. It started out as a weight loss blog, then a health blog after I went to hospital, and now it’s a life/food blog. I am not to sure. Is it honestly worth it to share your life with people if only 200 people are looking at it a day? I think the things which i struggle with sometimes is the competition that runs through me head. The blogs which I love and are most successful in my eyes are from those people who have devoted themselves, solely, to blogging ie. don’t have a full time job–either work from home of thats it.
I am not too sure if I am going to blog after I got to Timor in THREE WEEKS. I’ve toyed with stopping blogging. Sometimes I like to just sit back and be a passive reader and not have to blog about things. There’s only so many blog posts I can write. It’s an interesting question and sometimes I feel like my life isn’t exciting or enthralling enought to really document everything that I do. Not a marathon runner, not married revovating a house, not a freelance writer, etc.
Interesting topic. maybe I need to let go of the comparison and blog about what I want to. :)
Thanks Angela..great topic once again.
Reading blogs in an ADDICTION of mine that I can’t seem to kick off. I crave for it – it’s like my day is not complete unless I look at ‘just one blog’. As a reader, I also find it overwhelming to find SO MANY IDENTICAL blogs out there. So as a solution, I categorise each blog (all food blog. fashion blog, humor blog, health blog, recipe blog) and pick the top three from each category and read them. :D
As for smitten kitchen. omg the photography, the food – is OMGAAAAAAA!! Oh let me introduce you to another blog, it’s HUGELY popular – thepioneerwoman.com – its a food, confession, gardening, home, childrens blog all in one. Her recipes look so good (but not so healthy, i guess) BUT you must read her ‘love story series’ its under the confessions tab … its beyond addicting!
OK so on a somewhat different topic, I just made the On the Glo cookies – DELICIOUS! Love the texture and the banana is a really nice touch. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they won’t get too crumbly tomorrow…but for now, great recipe!
I think that the blog world will continue to evolve as technologies evolve, but I don’t think they’ll disappear.
Because food blogs, in particular, are based on a person’s life, they’re much more personal than a website about health. Unlike a site with more impersonal articles, the human connections food blogs offer draw people in and keep them reading. It’s like reality tv, just a LOT more real :)
I’ve tried other blogs, but I just can’t get into it. It’s almost like starting to watch a show in season 5. It feels like I have missed a whole lot. Maybe I should put more of an effort in and give others a shot. I am most definately ADDICTED to yours and always will be for as long as you continue to type!
xo
Great post! I agree with the other commenters that think narrowly focused blogs will evolve into more comprehensive blogs–with a variety of ideas and topics.the person or people who blog become the main attraction(s). However, Twitter is on its way to becoming the top outlet for social media…as politicians and celebrities use them more and more..
I will be on year 4 next week. I definitely think we are at the peak of food blogging. It seems like everyone and there mother has one, but then sadly they fade away after the first month or two.
I do however feel that as long as there is an Internet there will be food blogs.
Hi! This is my first time to your site and I think it’s great! Very interesting posts.
I think that food blogs will continue to grow as more and more people find out about it. Nowadays it’s quite common to have a website or a blog, but it is even more uncommon to have a food blog. So, as people get used to the idea a bit more, they might even start their own food blog or something of that sort.
I definitely think that the blogging industry is here to stay. You have to take into account all the teenieboppers who currently have websites out there–that’s a lot! Food blogging may not be as popular among the “kids”, but with our obesity trends, I’m sure food blogging will be a coping mechanism for some also.
I have been blogging for over a year and a half now. I think they are here to stay. The web is how people get information and entertainment now. Blogs aren’t going anywhere :)
Articles like your post are SO helpful, thanks for a good read and very good points. Food blogging provides something to the blogger more often than to the reader – a creative outlet and a voice. That’s a pretty good thing. Keep up the good work.