3. Read the text and give the main idea of each paragraph. Organize the main ideas in the form of a plan:

As the 20^th century drew to a close, a new form of personal self-expression began to appear on the Web. Called “Web logs” but soon shortened to blogs, this new type of online journal caught on rapidly. Blogs were adopted not only by Web designers and writers, but by millions of ordinary users who wanted to express opinions on the news, music or restaurants, analyze technological developments, or just inform relatives about their family. (By 2006 the Pew Internet and American Life project was reporting that about 16 percent of the American population - around half of all Internet users—was writing or at least reading blogs.) Additionally, today’s blogs have created a new form of journalism that challenges the mainstream media, have kept researchers in touch with new developments, and have provided a new way for corporations to communicate with customers.

The “classic” blog resembles a diary or journal. The writer simply adds a new entry either on a regular basis such as daily or weekly, or when there is something new to be said. Indeed, what makes blogs different from traditional journals is two things: linkage and interactivity. When a “blogger” writes about something such as a news story, he or she almost always includes a Web link that can take the reader directly to the source. The interactivity means that the readers have the opportunity to click a button and write their own response—either to the original journal entry or to someone’s earlier response.

In order for blogging to become widespread, there should be software that anyone could use without knowing anything about Web design or HTML coding. Most commonly, the software is hosted on a Web site, and users only need a Web browser to create and manage their blogs. One of the first popular blogging applications was developed in the late 1990s by David Winer of Userland Software. Google’s Blogger.com is another popular choice. Many blogging applications are free and open source, such as Drupal, Mephisto, and WordPress. Today anyone can start and maintain a blog with just a few clicks.

As blogs proliferated, it became evident that very often search engines were used to find blogs and blog entries. While a general search engine can find blog entries that match keywords, the results generally do not show the context or the necessary links to follow the threads of discussion. In addition to such services as Bloglines, general search engines such as Google include options for searching the whole “blogosphere.”

The availability of inexpensive cameras helps bloggers to engage in “video blogging.” Anyone who wants to see these videos regularly can “subscribe” and have them downloaded automatically to their PC or portable player.

Blogs are also used widely in business. Within a company, a blog can highlight ongoing activities and relevant resources that might otherwise be overlooked in a large corporate network. On the whole, blogs have provided an outlet where other means of expression are unavailable because of war (as in Iraq), disaster (Hurricane Katrina), or government censorship.