Blogging about Blogs

I have experienced firsthand how powerful belonging to a blog community can be. Reading blogs has become an obsession of mine the last year or so. By doing so, I have fully integrated myself into an online celebrity gossip community. Celeb gossip blogs are becoming extremely popular, and I have found my place in a physical as well as online blogging community. People who read certain blogs religiously, like Perez Hilton and TMZ are connecting in person as well as on the internet. I will only discuss my favorite celebs with other friends I know are frequent Perez, TMZ, and The Superficial readers. Reading these blogs affords a user status among other celeb fanatics. If someone does not read these blogs, there is an assumption that the person is clearly behind in her celeb knowledge. The only way to fully participate in a celebrity-based conservation in person, is to have all of the up to date information. While the blog is important to me in physical conversations, I am more of an observer on the actual blog than a participant. I do not leave comments or replies to blog postings. My sole purpose while on the sites is to read the information provided. Even though I am not a contributor to the blog, I still feel like I am a part of it.

The blogs are considered the most up to date sources and to not be acquainted with them leaves you behind in your celebrity knowledge. These blogs are replacing weekly gossip magazines for me. While I will still occasionally buy an US Weekly or People, more often than not, the information in the magazines is something I have already known for days. The turn around time for the blogs is so much faster than the magazines, that it is entirely possible that the continued growth of blogs, could potentially wipe out competing magazines one day.

Blogging has become such an integral part of our generation that bloggers themselves are able to become celebrities. As a career blogger, Perez Hilton has done his own television special, has appeared on countless television shows including, The View, and is a common fixture in the weekly gossip magazines. Through blogging, a person who was once just reporting on celebrity scandals has now become a celebrity himself. That is a true symbol of how wildly popular blogs have become. In some cases it is not even the information itself, but the way the work is presented. The celebrity blogs have continued the traditional language of blogs as “irreverent and sometimes sarcastic.” It makes reading the blogs, not only a way to be informed about celebs, but it has an entertainment factor that continually draws me back.

The blogs have even evolved into something bigger than themselves. Most have truly become, as Blanchard states, “a website that is updated frequently with new material posted at the top of the page.” This style is incredibly conducive to following your favorite celeb’s antics. Frequent updating allows for the newest information to be easily accessible. Then as you scroll down the page, or move backwards to a previous page, it is a process of “catching up” on my celeb gossip. The accessibility of the blogs is also a huge factor in my devotion to them. I regularly check the blogs, multiple times a day, and checking them does not require a large time commitment. I am usually on my computer doing homework, or on AIM, so the blog reading can happen simultaneously. Reading blogs has become a large part of my daily life and their importance to face-to-face conversations will likely continue to grow.