The blogging craze shows no signs of slowing down, with more tools being made available each week that simplify the Web logging process.
Bloki calls itself "a marriage between a word processor and a Web site" and offers both public and private access, along with lots of collaboration features. It's free and can be set up in two minutes, making "it as easy to write on the Web as it is to send an email message, according to Zapatec, the company behing the Bloki technology.
And although its been around for a few months now, the folks at Lycos-run Tripod claim its Blog Builder, service is picking up lots of traction. Lycos was the first major portal to offer blogging tools for the masses. Google is about to do the same thing after buying the pioneering Blogger service and AOL, MSN and a flock of lesser ISP/portals are working on similar services for their users.
But the blogging tool that is creating the biggest buzz comes from the husband-wife team behind the powerful Moveable Type platform. Ben and Mena Trott are close to releasing their new TypePad personal publishing syetem that promises to harness the power of MT but on a turnkey service that won't require the user to go through the often challenging setup or installation procedures that MT demands. I do this blog and my Mac-Mike blog on the MT platform and am blown away by its power and flexibility. Blogging, I believe, is the single most transformational development the Net has seen since the invention of the Web browser.
Blogging has dramatically altered the way news and entertainment is being reported. Its democratized the entire information process though tens of thousands of "amateur" reporters who often out scoop the major media's "professional" reporters with a depth, perspective and immediacy that is been found no where else.
Blogs truly give Publishing Power to the People. (Hey... I think I just coined a phrase. Remember, you saw it here first.)