You've seen the word; you've seen the websites and you may even have one. But have you ever wondered: What's the big deal about blogs?
你看過這個字，你看過網頁而且你也許甚至有一個。但是你有沒有想過：部落格有甚麼重要的？
This is Blogs in Plain English.
這是「英文說部落格」。
To make sense of blogs, you have to think about the news and who makes it. We'll look at news in the 20th vs. the 21st century to make our point.
要理解部落格，你必須想到新聞以及創造新聞的人。我們會比較二十世紀和二十一世紀的新聞，來闡述我們的觀點。
In the 20th century, the news was produced professionally. When news happened, reporters wrote the stories and a tiny group of people decided what appeared in a newspaper or broadcast. Professional news was main stream: general and limited.
在二十世紀，新聞是被專業製作的。當新聞產生，記者寫故事，而一小群人來決定甚麼會出現在報紙或是廣播之中。專業新聞是主流：普遍而有限的。
The 21st century marked the point where news became both professional and personal. A new kind of website called a Weblog or Blog for short came onto the scene that let anyone be a reporter and publisher, often for free.
二十一世紀是新聞變成同時專業且個人化的開端。一種新型網站叫做Weblog，簡稱Blog的出現使得任何人都變成記者和發行人，通常是免費的。
As blogs became popular, they created millions of news sources and gave everyone an audience for their own version of news. Of course, we're using the word "news" loosely. But really, isn't everything news to someone?
當部落格變得受歡迎，它們創造了數以百萬計的新資訊來源且幫每個人自己版本的新聞找到觀眾。當然，我們輕率地使用「新聞」這個字。但是真的，每件事情不都是某個人的新聞嗎？
With a blog, a business owner can share news about his business, a mother can share news about her family, or a sport star can share news with fans. These people are all "bloggers."
藉由部落格，一個生意人可以分享他生意上的新消息，一個母親可以分享她家庭的新聞，或是一個運動明星可以跟粉絲們分享新訊息。這些人都是「部落客」。
How did this happen? Well, blogs made sharing news on the web easy. Anyone with an idea can start a new blog with a click of a button and share news minutes later. Here's how blogs work.
這是怎麼發生的？嗯，部落格使得在網路上分享新聞變得更簡單。每個有點子的人可以按一個按鈕就開始一個新的部落格，並在幾分鐘之後開始分享新聞。這是部落格運作的方式。
Blogs are websites that are organized by blog posts. These are individual news stories, like articles in the paper. Bloggers simply fill out a form like this one to post a new story. With a click of a button, the blog post appears at the top of the web page, just above yesterday's news. Over time, the blog becomes a collection of these posts, all archived for easy reference.
部落格是由文章分類的網頁。這些是個人的新故事，像是報紙裡面的文章。部落客僅需填一張像是這樣的表格來發表新故事。按一個按鈕，部落格文章就會出現在網頁頂端，就在昨天新聞的上面。時間久了，這部落格變成一個這些文章的收藏，所有文章都會被存檔而可輕鬆參照。
Also, each blog post can become a discussion through comments left by readers. Blogs make the news a two way street.
同時，每一篇文章都可以藉由讀者留言變成討論串。部落格使得新聞變成雙向通道。
But really, the fuss is not about how blogs work. It's about what people like you do with them that matters.
但是真的，部落格如何運作並沒有甚麼好大驚小怪的。重要的是人們想要你如何去操作。
Let's say you have a blog about green living and outdoor photography. It reflects your unique perspective. This helps you build relationships with your readers and other bloggers with similar interests.
這樣說吧，你有一個關於綠能生活和戶外攝影的部落格，他反映出你獨特的觀點。這幫助你和讀者以及其他有相同興趣的部落客建立關係。
Speaking of relationships, bloggers often work together. In addition to comments, you'll read each other's posts, quote each other and link your blogs together. This creates communities of bloggers that inspire and motivate each other.
說到關係，部落客通常一起工作。除了留言之外，你們也將會互相閱讀文章，互相引述並且把你們的部落格連結在一起。這創造了互相刺激鼓勵的部落格社群。
Whether it's their ease of use or the opportunities they offer, blogs have been adopted in a very big way. Since 2003, there have been over seventy million blogs created, each with its own version of news. So, the big deal about blogs is that they gave people like you the power of the media and created a personal kind of news that appeals to a high number of small audiences.
不管是方便使用還是提供機會，部落格被非常廣泛的採用。從2003以來，已經有超過七千萬個部落格被創造出來，每個都有自己版本的新聞。所以，部落格重要的地方是，它給像你一樣的人們媒體的權利並能夠創造一能夠吸引大量小眾族群的個人型態的新聞。
So, it's up to you. What will you do with this new power? There is likely a group of people out there who want to hear what you have to say.
所以，這要看你自己。你要怎麼使用這新力量。外面有一票人想要聽聽看你想說甚麼。
You can search for blogs using Google's Blog Search or Technorati. You can also start your own blog for free at Blogger or Wordpress.com.
你可以用Google的Blog Search或是Technorati來找部落格。你也可以在Blogger或是Wordpress.com建立免費的部落格。
