"Blog" is short for "weblog." It is a page on the internet where somebody regularly posts entries. There are as many different kinds of blogs as there are  bloggers.

Blogs allow people to exchange information. Blogs are different than email, because they are usually public, which means anyone can read them. It also means search engines can index the content and the links contained therein.

This becomes very interesting in regards to the spread of art, culture, and ideas, because anything that is blogged about becomes part of a global web of dialogue in a very tangible (and searchable) sense. You can go see what music and videos people are blogging about, or what websites are hot, or what news articles are actually getting the most attention. Blogs also affect search engine results, because if everybody is linking to a given site within a given context (such as poi), that site will rank higher in relevant searches. This means that you can contribute to the evolution of art, ideas, and information simply by blogging about things you like, especially if you learn a few simple details about using keywords in the anchor text of your links. 

Another nice thing about blogs is that most of them publish their entries with an RSS feed, so you don't have to go to the blog's website to see what's new. Instead, you can get an account with a blog reader, like bloglines.com, and just tell it which blogs you like. Each time you visit bloglines, it will tell you which of your favorite blogs have new posts, and will allow you to read it on the spot. 

To get started, Get yourself your own blog and a blog reader. Blogger is a simple and free blog, and bloglines is a great reader. If you really want to get on the information evolution, visit wordpress.org, and learn about the world's most incredible open-source blog. We recommend checking out the wikipedia entry on blogs to learn more about how blogs started and why they have become a significant form of communication.

Once you're set up, you can subscribe to our own blog feed, and every time we post something that you truly want to share, blog about it with links back to playpoi. Then do the same with the other artists, websites, and ideas you most want to support. It's that simple.

Not everybody has to become a blogger, obviously.We recommend giving it a try. If you find you don't blog or ever check your blog reader, no harm done.

Happy blogging!