I guess the term "weblog" has come to mean a lot of things. The thing that first comes to my mind is the increasingly popular style of personal web site where the author leaves what are similar to journal entries every so often. One such site is our very own Templeton's spotfire.org.
Weblogs have always struck me as being an especially interesting phenomenon to observe. The things people write in them is often intensely personal--not exactly the kind of things you'd tell someone the first time you met them. Yet these people share it with the world, as if there was no such thing as a secret.
The few times I've been tempted to start a weblog, it takes me two seconds to realize that I could never personally be so open as the webloggers are. How could I write what I think of people when those people could foreseeably read what I write? How could I possibly write what I really think about anything when it's instantly published worldwide and anyone related to what I'm writing about might read it?
It's like writing in a diary, but instead of being locked and bearing a sign that reads "keep out," it's always open and invites people to read it. Your mother, your ex, your potential employer, your teacher, your boss, anyone. How can any honest, unfettered ranting happen when the audience could include the person you're ranting against?