Why write a blog??

There are a wide range of different types of blogs around and theyre all out there for all to see! Some are used as a means of keeping in touch with family, some take on the form of a diary, some are strictly professional, a lot are used as a medium for broadcasting opinions and some are a combination of some or all of these things, and I'm sure there are blogs in cyberspace used for things I haven't even mentioned.
A famous example of a blog is Heather Armstrong's 'Dooce'. Her blog was personal (as oppose to professional) in her own words she: "started this website as a hobby. In February 2001....as a place to write about pop culture, music, and [her] life as a single woman." It became infamous after she wrote unflattering stories about her then-workplace and colleagues, she ended up losing her job over it and now the name of her blog has become a term used to describe getting sacked for slating your work or colleagues online! Why would you write a blog if this can happen?? To put it bluntly as long as you don't do anything stupid (like publicly slate your employers) the benefits of blogging outweigh the potential pitfalls. Fortunately for Mrs Armstrong she now makes a succesful living from blogging and her personal blog has become her profession.
Blogs are also used professionally because they are a form of media reaching potentially different audiences to what a newspaper or televison programme can or does. Roy Greenslade for example blogs for The Guardian, he uses his blog to express his opinions particularly on politics, news and the media.

In the past few years blogging has become an increasingly popular and credible way for people to put across an opinion or to air their views to whoever wishes to read them. Whether you are a journalist, a member of the general public, or something in between you can blog however you like about whatever you like!
Before you blog I feel it is important to be clear of your intentions and why you are even blogging to begin with. In my blog I would like to aim to take a critical look at why we have a "Digital Culture" and how it affects our every day lives, and the impact it has on media, how we view news, society as a whole and the impact it could have on the future!
And I'm sure at some point when researching I'll find myself relying on the internets most reliable tool... Wikipedia! So apologies in advance.