# What is a "political blogger"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 6, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883 "2004-05-06T18:16:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/1 "2004-05-06T18:16:05Z")
Simple enough. Was does this term mean?
- Jinx
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/2 "2004-05-06T18:24:24Z")
Someone who write a blog about politics?
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### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/3 "2004-05-06T18:29:26Z")
Ok, what’s a blog? Pretend I was born yesterday… I guess I must have overslept on the day this became part of our lingo. 😉
It’s like that term “slugging”, IIRC,…is that still “in” for today’s commuter?
- Jinx
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/4 "2004-05-06T18:30:37Z")
Yeah, it’s not self-explanatory or anything. :rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/5 "2004-05-06T18:31:55Z")
Web log ----\> Blog
Blogger: One who blogs
Political Blogger: One who blogs about political matters
Here’s an example of the work of a political blogger: [http://www.dailykos.com/](http://www.dailykos.com/)
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/6 "2004-05-06T18:33:44Z")
> [@Jinx](#):
>
> Ok, what’s a blog?
Ah, nevermind. If you don’t know what a blog is, it’s _not_ self-explanatory. “Blog” is a short form of the term “weblog”, which is a sort of online diary or journal.
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### Author:  [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/7 "2004-05-06T18:38:29Z")
My own ignorance rears its head once again:
> [@friedo](#):
>
> Someone who write a blog about politics?
What’s a blog? :smack:
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### Author:  [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/8 "2004-05-06T18:43:46Z")
Those replies were NOT there the last time I previewed!!!
Lordy…how did I manage to lose seven minutes? Sorry…
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### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/9 "2004-05-06T18:44:32Z")
> [@Squink](#):
>
> Web log ----\> Blog
>
> Blogger: One who blogs
> Political Blogger: One who blogs about political matters
>
> Here’s an example of the work of a political blogger: [http://www.dailykos.com/](http://www.dailykos.com/)
Nothing like defining a term with _that_ term! I guess the Computer Generation simply paid no attention in English Class. (English? Yeah, right! Like I’ll need to know that to survive in the real world!)
Thanks, QED, for the clarification.
- Jinx
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### Author:  [@MMI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MMI)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/10 "2004-05-06T19:44:59Z")
A blog, or weblog is a website consisting of a journal (or log) of some individual (or sometimes a group). A blog may be in part a diary, but mostly contains links to websites and topics of interest to the blogger, with their commentary/analysis/annotation, and sometimes with space for reader comment. A political blog is one whose topic is at least nominally politics, although often the blogger will touch on other items of interest (Harry Potter, the evil that is the New York Yankees, or whatever). There are blogs by individuals, groups, organizations, etc, spanning the political spectrum and with a variety of focus. Political blogs have been around for several years but have received much attention lately because of their demonstrated potential for both organizing for political purposes and especially fundraising. Many political weblogs are run by journalists or political junkies so they are often commenting on news somewhat before or simultaneous with the mainstream press.
There are blogs on pretty much any topic out there. One would be hard pressed to read any more than a tiny sample. Many are crap but if you look around you can usually find reasonable, readable blogs from all parts of the political spectrum that can help understand what and how the other hallf thinks. (You can also locate blogs that are unreadable and/or will make your blood boil - again from all different political stripes).
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### Author:  [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-political-blogger/243883/11 "2004-05-07T01:32:55Z")
…as opposed to a “personal” blogger, whose daily output records the weather, what she (it’s usually a she) had for breakfast, what her friends are doing, what her (ugh) feelings are, etc.
Many “political” bloggers seem to be virtually carbon copies of one another, linking to the same NY Times, Wash Post, etc etc columnists or _each other_, and regurgitating hackneyed liberal or conservative comments on the link.
There are also specialist blogs on regions, food, military, academic areas, hobbies, etc. Some of these are written by experts, who take great delight in exposing the errors made by generalist commentators in mainstream media. And then there’s…