Blogs are gaining worldwide popularity. Once thought to be a personal journal for the new millenium, blogs have quickly become a means to distribute health information. What is a blog and what do you need to know about using them responsibly?

What is a blog?

A blog is a website that contains information that is updated and changed very frequently. The first blogs were started in the late 1990's as a way to share information among computer programmers (SOURCE). They are typically written by one person, or a small group of people. Blogs may focus on news, opinions, or useful links, and are now available on any topic under the sun. In 2004, there were three million blogs being tracked.

Learn more about the history of blogs by clicking here.

Who can make a blog?

Anyone can start a blog and anyone can post (respond online) to an existing blog. There are many resources online that provide the how-to information for starting a blog. Try some of these:

Blog Basics: Learn how to keep an online journal
Wiki-How: How to Start a Blog

How can I find blogs related to Healthy Aging?

There are many online search engines just for blogs. They work like web search engines such as Google or Yahoo! Try one of these:

Google Blog Directories
Yahoo! Blog Directories

How can I tell if the information on a blog is reliable?

Great question! Since it is possible for anyone to start a blog, it is very important to determine if the information is coming from a reliable source. To help determine this, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does the author or sponsoring agency list their credentials and affliations?
2. Is the blogger selling products or do you have to pay to read the blog?
3. Does the blogger cite references to support health claims and recommendations?
4. Does the blogger show a publishing date of information? This is important for time-sensitive information.
5. Does the information seem reasonable compared to other information you have read on the topic?
6. Does the author provide you with links to read more about the topic?
7. Does the author provide contact information to learn more about the information?
8. Does the author appear to be unbiased or is (s)he promoting only one side of an issue?