The rise of the popularity of blogs coincided with the turn of the 21st century. This is attributed to the fact that blogging software began to be developed in 1999 and widely adopted the following year. Some early blogging tools included Open Diary, LiveJournal and blogger.com.

One of the first widespread uses of blogs was for political news coverage. Blogs became an important media outlet not only for breaking political news, but also for politicians and pundits to release spun versions of the news. The political impact of blogs was noted after an incident in 2002 when the Republican majority in the Senate honored longtime Senator Strom Thurmond. When it was suggested that Thurmond would have made a good President, bloggers reacted with facts about the Senator’s past approval of racial segregation. Bloggers began to dig up old video and print quotes from Senator Thurmond’s speeches. The remarks made at the party were not widely covered by the mainstream media, but the impact of blogs eventually played a hand in the resignation of Trent Lott as Senate majority leader.

Another incident demonstrating the impact of political blogs occurred when CBS reporter Dan Rather presented documents to the public that seemed to show the military service of President George W. Bush was not what he had claimed it to be. Bloggers jumped to the occasion and presented evidence that pointed to Rather’s documents as being forgeries.

Both of these incidents gave credibility to blogs as more than personal journals. Blogs had become accepted by the mainstream media and the public as a valid means of disseminating the news and other information. Eventually, respected journalists began blogs of their own, which further blurred the line between the official news media and blogs.

Four years into the new century, blogs were well embedded into the public consciousness as a legitimate form of media. Network news services, political advisors and even political candidates ran blogs to bring news and other information to the public. Blogs became viewed as important tools for reaching out to the public and expressing personal opinions on issues of the day. Politicians who were not actively campaigning started blogs as a simple means to keep in touch with and give solidarity to their constituents.

In 2005, several bloggers were recognized by Fortune Magazine and other sources for their contributions to society. Fortune Magazine named eight of these bloggers as business people that could not be ignored. They included Peter Rojas, Ben Trott, Robert Scoble and Xeni Jardin.

The popularity of blogs gave rise to a new form of social media and online presence that was dubbed Web 2.0. Web 2.0 referred to websites that were largely interactive, some of which had content that was fully created by users. Today, the term Web 2.0 has fallen out of favor as blogging and interactive websites have further blended with traditional websites, making a distinction between the two unnecessary. Many traditional websites now have a blog section, effectively combining the best of both types of websites.

Blogs have now been adopted by national governments. Israel was the first country to have an official blog, which was launched in 2007 by Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs David Saranga. Saranga’s campaign to makeover Israel’s public image also included a MySpace page, Facebook page and the first press conference held by a national government via Twitter.

In 2009, it was reported that blogging was one of the factors responsible for the decline of newspapers in the United States. Several newspapers had filed for bankruptcy or otherwise ending their circulation. President Barrack Obama was forced to make a public statement backing the importance of traditional media, stating that most newspapers upheld higher standards of fact checking and objectivity.

The line that once separated blogs from the mass media is quickly fading. What remains of the separation is largely upheld by the blogging community. Many bloggers prefer to differentiate themselves from the mainstream media as an appeal to the underdog or to those looking for grassroots sources of information. It is widely accepted that information coming from the mass media goes through several filters before reaching the public, and blogging is seen as a way around those filters. News from blogs is viewed as raw, unadulterated and uncensored. It reaches the public through a more direct route, which appeals to many people who have grown to distrust mainstream news outlets.

The popularity of blogs has forced the mass media to recognize their influence and begin blogs of their own. Mass media blogs are often run by popular news personalities. Other mass media blogs simply offer an outlet for stories to be published that were not written by staff reporters.

On the other side of the coin, many respected bloggers have begun to appear in the mainstream media. Several bloggers make regular appearances in radio and television interviews to discuss current events or to relate their opinion on specific subjects. In addition, many bloggers have published popular books about their blogging experience or about the subjects on which their blogs are based. An award for the best book based on a blog began to be awarded in 2005. It is known as the Lulu Blooker Prize. One blog, “The Julie/Julia Project” was the basis for a book that reached the New York Times Bestseller list, and it was later turned into a feature film.

Blogging can result in a number of social or legal consequences. Bloggers publishing untrue statements have found themselves on the defending end of libel or defamation lawsuits. In 2009, damages in blogging cases totaled over $17 million. In some countries, bloggers have been arrested over opinions or information posted in blogs. Countries noted for taking action against bloggers include Singapore, Egypt and Sudan. After a political scandal, Malaysia now requires all bloggers operating inside the country to register with the government.

Many bloggers have also found themselves in compromising situations with their employers over their blogs or comments made on blogs. In one highly publicized instance, a Delta Airlines flight attendant was fired for maintaining a blog documenting her experiences while on the job. In another case, a congressional assistant was fired after revealing details of her sex life on her blog. In yet another popular case, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks was fined in 2006 by the NBA for making disparaging remarks about NBA referees.

Blogging also may compromise the personal safety of a blogger. Bloggers expressing controversial opinions may receive threats from those who do not agree. In some cases, threats may turn into stalking or assault. Some bloggers have been targeted for violence for no apparent reason, as was the case with Kathy Sierra, whose death-threats resulted in the development of the Blogger’s Code of Conduct.