Imagine keeping a diary every day, but instead of locking it up and stowing it in your desk drawer, you do the exact opposite. For Benham, mainly, it is a way to keep his friends in far-flung places posted on his life. When I do meet up with my friends, there is no gap since the last time I saw them physically. Granted, people have been communicating over long distances for a long time. They would bang on drums, send smoke signals, hire a messenger with a fast horse.
Letters begat phone calls.
Then came e-mail. But there has never been anything quite like a blog. Instead of simply typing in the lyrics to a beloved tune, you can add a link so folks can download an MP3 of the song. Bolster a political argument by linking to Web sites that support your point of view. Part diary, part media digest, part scrapbook, blogs are one more way the digital revolution has enabled communication in ways few people could have predicted.