Earlier this month, I wrote that the biggest blogs aren't really blogs any more, having crossed the line between personal platforms to full-fledged media powerhouses. A review on TechCrunch or GigaOM can be just as effective at getting the word out these days as a mention in more traditional business press. TrueGrit, who forecast this change in August of 2006, says that "real changes occur with popularity", and that the image of a blog "becomes an entity of its own, not always in sync with the desires and direction that the person who owns it has in mind."That last line, for me, is especially insightful. It seems that the momentum of a blog can pull the author in a direction they hadn't anticipated. I've mentioned here that what I had intended to be a personal blog of sorts has evolved to be more technology-focused and observational on blog trends than I had guessed it would be. The evolving readership and community I've found in the year and a half of regular publishing has pushed me more toward noting insights in how I interact with technology and away from my talking about politics, for instance, or chronicling every A's game, as much fun as that can be.
In fact, TrueGrit, while effusing praise on the blog, mentions our differences in politics as a concern, when she writes, "I think I should blogroll Louis, his politics are diametrically different from mine, but his interest in specific topics and the world are touchpoints for me."
Politics, religion and even sports can serve to divide people as well as bring them together. There's no doubt, as you could likely see from some of the comments earlier this week around Michael Moore's 'Sicko', that people can get riled up around differences in opinion, but through our efforts in the blogosphere, and our shared experiences and observations, we'll be sure to find commonality. I'm glad I can have discussions with complete strangers in this way, despite our sure differences. I'm glad we can expand the conversation.